Entries of the Collaboration
by Sno Phoenix
Summary: These are the submissions that didn't make the cut. The Chapters should correspond with the chapters of From Here to Eternity.
1. Arc 1, Prologue

Hello! And welcome to the Spare Entries Story where you can view the Entries of each chapter from "From Here to Eternity". The entry with the most votes was posted in the actual story and will not be found. This place is solely for you, the readers, to see what else was available for choosing. When a number skips, obviously that's the winning chapter, in this case, Submission Two by Twilight Scribe.

Also I am employing the same method of organization that is seen everywhere. If you want to skip ahead use the control F option, do so and look for "Submission" and the numerical number for which one you want. In this case: Submissions 1, 3, 4 & 5 are available.

~~Kat

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**Submission 1 By I.K.A Valian**

"Lloyd!" cried Genis. "Lloyd, oh no, you can't… you can't be dead!"

Genis threw himself at the frozen body and dragged it off of the pile of wood it lay upon. The frozen body was Lloyd Irving. Genis sobbed as he dragged Lloyd's dead body a short distance away from the wood pile.

"Lloyd…" Genis' knees made depressions in the snow as he fell onto the frozen Lloyd. He grabbed onto the stiff with frost leather jacket the Lloyd was wearing. "I can't believe you're dead Lloyd. It's just not possible."

A man detached from the crowd gathered around the funeral pyre. He moved to Genis' side and kneeled down. The man's hand smoothed the rumpled blue cloth of Genis' shirt as he rubbed the grieving boy's back. Tears dripped from Genis' chin as he watched the unmoving body in front of him. The salty water froze before they hit the snow.

"Did you know this unfortunate young man?" asked the stranger. "He was here for quite a while. He was found in town just before he died. From what I hear his injuries were quite severe. Even the local doctor wasn't able to do anything."

"Why was he on that pile of wood?" asked Genis. He wiped his face on his arm. His tears left a shiny streak.

"That's the funeral pyre," said the stranger. "They were going to burn his body."

Genis opened his mouth to speak, but his voice caught in his throat. After a few more moments of trying to speak, Genis gave up and sobbed some more instead.

The crowd waited, snuggled tight in their parkas and coats. The pile of wood was built up a fair distance away from the city of Flanoir. Thus, the wind was blowing and the snow drifts were piling higher and higher.

"Come," said the stranger, "let us put your friend back onto pyre and we'll send him his Eternal Rest with the Goddess."

"No," said Genis. He shook his head and grabbed onto Lloyd's body again. "Not yet. I'm not ready yet."

The pile of wood suddenly caught fire. The crowd gave a collective gasp. Then the ice below the fire started to evaporate in a huge plume of steam. The ground beneath Genis and the crowd began to shake and rumble.

The sound of a great roaring of water permeated the air. A huge crack suddenly split the ice on which they all stood. Even more steam shot into the air, miles up.

The crowd was thrown and scattered in various direction as the ground beneath them exploded. Genis and Lloyd's body were thrown halfway back to Flanoir. Lloyd's body landed in a pile of snow and Genis bounced off of a melting snowman and into a snow bank.

Before he lost consciousness, Genis saw a huge plume of black smoke and gray ash belching into the air from where the funeral pyre once stood. An angry red glow emanated from beneath the melting ice.

The waters around Palmacosta sloshed and writhed with froth as they receded from the city. Boats big and small were unceremoniously dumped onto the ocean bed. Like an avenging angel of Cruxis, the water then fell back onto the city.

Boats and dock alike were torn to pieces by the torrential force of the wave. Citizens wailed out in fear as they were slammed into building sides, thrown into the air, or simply carried out to sea. Houses were flattened. Trees were ripped free of the ground.

"I call upon the Maiden of the Mist! Undine!"

The horrendously huge wave of water suddenly froze in place. Like a calm stream, the waters receded. Errant trees were laid calmly down. The people, those alive and those drowned, were set down with the gentleness of a mother's caress.

In the center of the mess was a single female ninja. Her ceremonial robes hung from her physique, heavy with water. Her breathing was labored. Drops of water rained off of her to make loud splats on the pavement.

"What in the world just happened?!" she shouted.

A blond girl, wearing all white, ran onto a bridge connected to another part of the city. She stopped at the highest part of the bridge's arc and scanned the area. When she spotted the ninja, the blonde's face brightened.

"Sheena!" she cried. The blond ran as quickly as she could toward Sheena. She deftly avoided the dead bodies, the people groaning on the ground, and the fallen debris. She twirled around a large chunk of rock. Just as she reached Sheena, right as she slowed down, she tripped.

"Whoa!"

Sheena, broken from the spell she was under, blinked, her eyelids dragging themselves slowly across the surface of her eyes. She saw the people lying about, the carnage, the destruction. Memories of the Temple of Lightning and that first failed attempt to make a pact with Volt rumbled around her mind. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone move. Her pulse picked up immediately.

"Is that…" The blond girl pushed up with her arms and lifted her body so that she could get her legs underneath her. Sheena ran forward and helped the blond up the rest of the way. "Colette! What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way for the peace meeting," said Colette. She brushed her white dress off and straightened up. "When I saw the giant wave coming, I ran into the city to try and help people that were hurt. I thought I heard someone summon Undine. That was great timing, Sheena."

"I-it was nothing," said Sheena. A moan arose from someone behind the two women. "Come on, we've got to see if anyone needs help."

"Come this way, Miss Sage."

Raine followed the Mayor of Exire closely. The two of them navigated the extended bridge that led to Maxwell's tablet. The journey to the tablet consumed nearly fifteen minutes, but finally she and the Mayor stood in front of a tombstone.

"I'm sorry for your loss," said the Mayor, "she wasn't in good health recently. I'm told she passed away in her sleep."

"It's quite alright Mayor," said Raine. She brought her hand to her chin and gazed vacantly at the tombstone. "Do you think I could have a moment alone?"

"Of course," said the Mayor. "Just be careful on your trip back across the bridge."

Raine, now alone, kneeled down in front of the tombstone on the soft grass there. She ran her fingers over the lettering engraved on it. The name Virginia Sage shadowed slightly from the angle of the sun. Raine dropped her head and let her hair fall.

"Mother, I'm sorry I couldn't return in time," Raine said. There was no response but for a slight breeze that rustled the verdant grass. "I… I helped regenerate the world. I can't say we've made it better, since half-elves are still persecuted. However, Genis and I will work for as long as it takes to get the world to accept us. And… we're happy." Raine lifted her head and searched the stone tablet in front of her. "I hope that… can give you the peace I wasn't able to the last time we met."

Raine stood up and brushed her coat off. "Good bye, mother," she said, "I'll come to visit again soon. I'll bring Genis with me."

Raine turned and slowly walked away from the tombstone. Her steps were light and soft on the grass. Just as she reached the bridge, Raine's pace slowed to a stop. There was a great black cloud spinning over the main platform of Exire. She frowned.

"That wasn't there when I got here," she said. She started forward again. "I wonder what it could be."

When Raine reached the halfway point, the black cloud suddenly dropped onto Exire. The winds picked up dramatically inside of the town's many platforms. It became so fierce that people were lifted from the ground and thrown into the air.

The constantly moving air howled loud and deep. Raine's bones vibrated from the jarring sound waves, but she pushed into the headwind as fast as she could. Ahead of her she could hear screams emanating from people being launched from Exire by the rampaging funnel cloud.

Raine nearly made it to the end of the bridge when a powerful gust knocked her over the side. She grabbed onto the ledge quickly. The old stone walkway was covered in moss on the edge she'd grabbed. For a few seconds she hung from edge, attempting to conquer her fear of falling while trying to climb back up.

She reached out to grab what looked like a less mossy part of the bridge. Before she could grab it, her other hand slipped. Her fingers grazed the bridge and then she fell. Before the black cloud engulfed her, she glimpsed a bright light that appeared to be angel wings.

A young girl stood next an axe as tall as she. Next to the girl stood a man, tall and broad of shoulder. Both were covered in burn marks, scuffs, and soot. In front of them, the former forest where Ozette once existed was naught but ashes played with by the wind.

"Ozette…" said the girl. "Ozette is gone." Her arm trembled as she lowered her head, letting her pink bangs cover her eyes. "After all the hard work we put into restoring it. You, Lloyd, and all the others. Now it's all gone."

The man placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I don't know how the fire started," said the man. "But I assure you, Presea, none of us will give up on restoring Ozette, even if we have to replant the entire forest."

The girl smiled from behind her bangs. "Yes… That is something Lloyd would say, don't you think, Regal?"

Regal nodded, but did not crack his serious expression with even the slightest of grins. "I suppose his attitude has rubbed off on me a little," he said. For a while longer, they stood in the ashes of Ozette. "Let us go to Altessa's house. Our Rheairds are there and we'll need to clean up before we head back to Meltokio for the ceremony." Regal paused for a moment. "Presea, I'm sorry."

"We will rebuild," she said. The grasp she had on the axe next to her tightened, the leather of her gloves squeaking.

"Master Zelos, your guests have arrived."

Zelos looked up from the papers in his hands. "Thanks Sebastian. Tell them I'll be right down. I have a few more of these reports to read." Zelos lifted leaves of paper into the air and wiggled them.

"Very good, sir," Sebastian said. The butler bowed, turned, and left the office. He traveled with an air of purpose to the end of the hall, down the stairs, and into the parlor of the Wilder Mansion. He raised his arm and coughed into his gloved hand to announce his presence to the five people in and about the room.

"Master Zelos has told me to inform his guests that he will be a short while longer," Sebastian said. "Please be patient."

The five people watched Sebastian nod, turn, and leave. Presea narrowed her eyes at the coffee table in front of the lounge chair she and Regal sat on. The coffee in the five cups on the table remained where they were when poured minutes before.

"Why are we all here when we could be out there doing something to help with these disasters?" Presea asked.

Genis walked forward into the center of the room, turned, and paced back to his starting position. "I'm worried about Raine. I still don't know where she is. She might have been hurt and is dying somewhere. Oh Martel, I hope she's okay."

"Calm down Genis." Sheena stopped Genis' pacing with a calm hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Raine is just fine. She can handle herself a lot better than many of us give her credit for."

"I believe we also thought that of Lloyd," said Regal. He glanced down at Presea. "And I believe it was made clear that we're not invincible in Ozette."

Presea's face darkened as she tilted her chin downward. "Yes," she said.

"Oh, Lloyd, what happened?" Colette turned from the casket at the back of the room. She looked at Genis and reflected back at him the sad, guilty look he was wearing. "I just wish he were here too. I'm sure he'd know something."

"The absence of Raine as well is troubling," said Regal. He nodded to himself. "Genis, I do hope she wasn't headed toward the ruins of the Tower of Mana. I've heard that it sank into the earth after a horrendous earthquake that nearly swallowed Luin."

Genis shook his head. "No, Raine said she was going to see Mother in Exire. She wanted to try and heal her. I-"

"Well kiddies, it appears that Flanoir and Palmacosta weren't the only cities hit with massive natural disasters." Zelos frowned as he descended the stairs. His voice deepened as he continued. "It appears that Mizuho, Heimdall, and Exire were also hit by strange phenomenon."

Genis paled. Sheena clutched onto his shoulders in a tighter embrace. Colette frowned.

"However," said Zelos, "there's some good news. The citizens of Exire were saved by some miraculous help in the form of a healer, imagine that. No one died."

"Oh thank Martel," said Colette.

Genis let out a really deep breath. His color quickly returned, but his knees suddenly started buckling. Sheena patted Genis on the back.

Zelos grinned. "You worry too much twerp."

Genis made a face at Zelos, but his eyes reflected the relief he obviously felt.

"Anyway," said Zelos, "after the fire in Ozette, the tsunami in Palmacosta, the volcanic eruption in Flanoir, the twister in Exire, a random and violet attack by an Exbelua in Katz Village, deadly hail in Heimdall, the earthquake at the Tower of Mana ruins, and the blizzard in Mizuho, the total of disasters has risen to ten, counting the drought here in the Meltokio region and the sudden monsoons around Altamira."

"Oh!" Colette turned to Sheena. "Did your people make it out of Mizuho alright?"

Sheena nodded and crossed her arms. "Yeah, it's not like that many people were still there anyway. We've pretty much completed the transfer of the village to a new secret location. The only things damaged in the old village were empty houses."

"Oh good," said Colette.

"That brings us back to Lloyd," said Regal. He stood up from the couch and turned toward the casket. "What was he doing in Flanoir? And what killed him?"

"Ding Dong!" went the bell at the front door.

Sebastian appeared from his hiding spot just outside of the room and opened the door. He seemed to take pause for a moment. Then he backed out of the way and opened the door wider at the same time.

Raine nodded to Sebastian and walked into the Wilder Mansion. Behind her, Lloyd had his head in his hands.

"My name is Lloyd, not Sir Bud," said Lloyd. "Got that, Lloyd. Lloyd Irving."

"As you say, Sir Bud," said Sebastian.

Lloyd sighed. "I give up," he said.

Raine and Lloyd followed Sebastian into the parlor. Sebastian coughed into his gloved hand again and said, "Raine Sage and Sir Bud have arrived."

"My name is Lloyd," Lloyd said under his breath.

"Raine!" Genis jumped into the arms of his sister moments after Sebastian moved out of the way. "Raine I was so worried."

"I'm okay Genis," she said, hugging her bother back. Genis was the only one who didn't noticed Lloyd standing behind her. Everyone else was staring at him.

The coffee cup Sheena just picked up fell from her fingers. It shattered loudly on the hard floor. The sharp sound jarred everyone from their stupor.

"Lloyd!"

"Lloyd!"

"Bud?!"

"Lloyd?"

Lloyd nervously looked back and forth between each of the faces staring at him. He took a nervous step backwards. "W-what?" he asked. "Why are you all looking at me that way?"

"But… how can there be two?" asked Colette.

"Two of what?" asked Lloyd. He looked at Colette quizzically and then turned to Zelos when she didn't answer him. "And why didn't you send me an invite, Zelos? I only heard about this gathering when I met up with Professor Sage in Exire."

Zelos glanced curiously at the casket at the back of the room and back to Lloyd. "Well, Bud, you see…"

"Lloyd?" Genis finally noticed Lloyd standing in the room. Then his face grew pale. "Raine…" Genis tugged on Raine's sleeve and pointed at Lloyd. "Raine, there's a ghost in here."

"What?!" She turned and faced Lloyd. Lloyd turned around and looked as well. All they could see was a potted plant. "Where?" she asked. "All I see is Lloyd."

"I believe that Genis means that Lloyd is the ghost," said Regal. "Though I find that highly unlikely.

"What?!" asked Lloyd. "How could you guys think I'm a ghost?! I'm standing right here, aren't I? I'd have to be dead first to turn into a ghost, right?"

"Fifty-four percent chance that there are two Lloyds," said Presea.

Raine, whose head was turning back and forth between those behind her and Lloyd, spotted the casket. She turned toward it and pointed at the reflective wooden box. Lloyd quickly noticed it as well.

"Hey," said Lloyd, "who died?"

"I thought the note looked rather odd," said Raine. She pulled out a card that had expensive script printed in gold on a thick piece of paper. "This is an invitation to a funeral. And the reason that Lloyd wasn't invited is because…"

"What?" Lloyd asked. "Why wasn't I invited? And why do all of you think I'm a ghost? And who died?"

"Lloyd," said Genis, "the reason you weren't invited is because you're already here."

"Genis, I know I'm here," said Lloyd, "I'm not that dense. I just walked in the door."

"Bud, perhaps you should take a look inside the casket," said Zelos.

Lloyd blinked, looked at the casket, and then quickly shook his head. "N-no thanks. I don't think so."

Raine, however, brushed past Genis. When she reached the casket, she hooked her fingers under the lid and lifted it open. When she saw who lay inside she gasped.

"That's… impossible."

"That is exactly my feeling at the moment," said Regal. "Though I assume there is a logical explanation for all of this."

"Okay, now I'm confused," said Lloyd. "Professor, who exactly is in there?"

Raine stepped back and beckoned to Lloyd. He regarded her for a moment. Then he walked forward. He stopped when he was able to see who was inside the casket.

"That… That's me!" said Lloyd. He pointed at his own dead body. "I'm in there! I'm dead! How did I get dead?!"

"That is exactly what we'd like to know, Lloyd, old buddy," said Zelos. Zelos walked up behind Lloyd and slung an arm over his shoulders. "See, Genis found this… Lloyd in Flanoir, right before the volcano exploded there. He brought you here. I called everyone so that we could give you a funeral."

"This… is my funeral?" asked Lloyd. "I don't get it. How can there be two of me?"

Sheena approached the casket and closed the lid. "Seeing… whatever or whoever that is makes my skin crawl," she said.

Raine turned around, he hand at her chin. "Suppose this is a case of mistaken identity," she said. "That would explain why Genis mistook this man for Lloyd."

"That was my first assumption," said Zelos. "I really didn't want to believe it was actually Bud."

"So Zelos contacted me," said Regal. "He asked if I could do a Mana Trace on the body. I did so and the results were an exact match. The person in that casket _is_ Lloyd Irving, according to his residual Mana."

"How can I be in two places at the same time," asked Lloyd. "That impossible, isn't it?"

"Not necessarily," said Raine. "Remember how the Tower of Salvation could appear in both worlds? The Tower was in the same place, but by the power of shifted dimensions it was in two places at once."

"So I'm in a shifted dimension?" asked Lloyd. "How is that possible? I haven't picked up the Eternal Sword for a year now. Not since I sent Kratos to Derris Kharlan."

"This is all so confusing," said Genis. "Lloyd is in two places at once. The natural disasters. It's like the world is falling apart right after we put it back together."

"Perhaps we should ask Martel," said Presea. "I think she would know what is going on."

"Yuan should be there right now," said Sheena. "According to the Mizuho Information Network, he's been near the Yggdrasill Tree ever since disbanding the Renegades three months ago. Perhaps he'll know something about this as well."

"Alright," said Lloyd, "lets' go."

"What are we going to do about him?" asked Colette. She nodded toward the casket.

"I'll have Sebastian look after him until we get back," said Zelos. "He should be fine."

Lloyd glanced down from his Rheaird. His deep red air vehicle slowed down considerably. The others all noticed and slowed as well.

"Lloyd, what's wrong?" shouted Sheena. "Why did you slow down?"

Lloyd turned to Sheena and pointed down. Sheena looked down at what should have been the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. It was gone. Wreckage from the bridge was strewn about the area. Some of the pylons that held the bridge up still stood, but not many.

"Oh Mana… What happened?" Sheena cried. "The Grand Tethe'alla Bridge is gone!"

"Add another disaster to the list," said Genis. "I wonder if all these disasters are related to the other Lloyd."

"We won't find anything out here," said Lloyd. "Let's go."

"We're not back together for fifteen minutes and Lloyd's already taking charge again," said Zelos. "It's just like old times."

"He he, you're having fun, aren't you Zelos?" asked Colette.

"You know it my little angel!" Zelos twisted the handle on his Rheaird and the machine took off at breakneck speeds. "Yee haa!"

"Zelos," shouted Lloyd, "wait for us!" Lloyd twisted his own handle and took off. The rest of the gang followed suit, their expressions ranging from Colette's happiness, to Raine's exasperation.

Eventually, the group arrived at the former spot where the Tower of Salvation rose into the sky, the Holy Ground of Kharlan. The ruins from the tower were scattered about the region. Thick green moss covered most of the ridiculously huge chunks of white marble.

"In a few more years, this place will hardly look like ruins anymore," said Raine. She dropped her head and let it hang in front of her. "There's not enough time to see them all."

"We're almost there," said Lloyd from the front of the group. He stepped over a particularly thick root. "This place has really exploded with green stuff. I wonder why?"

"I would assume that is because of the excessive amount of Mana produced by the Yggdrasill Tree," said Regal.

"Mana is the source of life after all," said Colette. Just as she finished speaking, the epicenter of the ruins came into view. Compared to the ruins around it, the center where the Yggdrasill Tree grew was flat and open. A stream trickled by and the grass was thick, but otherwise the area was quite open. Sunlight shone down upon the sapling.

Lloyd walked confidently forward. He reached about halfway to the tree when he slammed into an invisible wall. The group behind him stopped.

"What is a barrier doing around the tree?" asked Genis. Lloyd stepped back and rubbed his nose while he glared ahead of him at the shield.

"I thought that Magi-technology was banned around these areas," said Lloyd.

"It's supposed to be," said Sheena.

"Oh no," said Colette, "If there's Magi-technology here, then the new tree might wither. We've got to turn it off before that happens."

"Relax," said a new voice. "It's not a very large barrier and it runs on a specific type of power that is not entirely Mana based."

Yuan walked up to the group from the right. The side of a house was just visible from where they were standing. Lloyd pointed at the shield.

"Isn't that bad?"

"No, Lloyd," said Yuan, "it runs on solar generated power. No Mana from the tree is used to power it."

"Good," said Lloyd. "Can you take it down? We need to talk with Martel."

"What's wrong?" asked Yuan. "Why do you guys need to speak with her? You know how much Mana that uses up."

"It concerns the natural disasters happening around the world," said Raine. "As well as a certain conundrum that's come up regarding Lloyd."

Yuan turned to Lloyd. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't anything I did," said Lloyd, waving his hands about. "But apparently another me showed up and died in Flanoir."

"I see," said Yuan. "And there's no possibility that it could be mistaken identity?"

"Regal did a Mana scan. It said that the dead body exactly matches Lloyd's," said Genis.

"I suppose…" Yuan looked down at the ground, his brow furrowed. "No," he said, "no that's not possible."

"What do you mean?" asked Lloyd, "What's not possible?"

Yuan looked at Lloyd and said, "I suggest you summon Origin. He would be able to explain this better than Martel. Besides, my passive scans of the planetary Mana levels show an increased strain on the tree as of late."

"Alright," said Lloyd, "in that case, Sheena, can you summon Origin for us?"

Sheena pursed her lips and nodded. She took a few steps away from the group and pulled out a couple Mana cards. "Stay clear everyone," she said. Then she began the summoning.

She dropped the cards, speaking softly the incantation. The cards fluttered to the ground and then, as if picked up by invisible hands, flew through the air around her. Their edges traced out a circle around her, with runes and symbols that glowed. Dark, foreboding clouds gathered over head.

"Source of Heaven, Earth, and everything in between. Ruler of all. I summon thee. Come, Origin!"

The summoning circle beneath Sheena's feet grew in intensity. The cloud over head rumbled. The wind around the tree picked up, throwing dust and dead leaves into the air. Great bolts of lightning flashed in the distance. The ground rumbled. The very air vibrated with power and Mana, circling around Sheena as the summoning continued.

He appeared then. The energy in the air and the clouds seemed to dissipate. The Mana flying about was used up. The sun returned. Before the group floated the four armed Summon Spirit of Birth, Origin.

"For what reason have you summoned me?" asked Origin. His voice was deep and powerful. Sheena swallowed. Lloyd stepped forward.

"Origin, how are you?" Lloyd asked.

Origin turned his head and peered down at Lloyd. "Master of the Pact, for what reason have you and the Pact Maker called me?" Origin lifted his head and looked out into the horizon. "I sense a world in turmoil. A planet besieged by natural disasters. Is that why you have called me here?"

"Not quite," said Yuan. "It appears that another Lloyd has appeared on Aselia. He's dead now, but the other person was an exact Mana match for our Lloyd here."

"Do you think you could help us understand where that Lloyd came from?" asked Raine. "We believe that he may be related to the natural disasters taking place around the world as we speak."

Origin closed his eyes. For several tense moments, nothing happened. The great amount of Mana surrounding Origin swirled idly about his body. Finally, Origin opened his eyes and his expression hardened.

"I have seen this elsewhere," said Origin. "Though it is troubling that this is happening here."

"So you know what's wrong, Origin?" asked Colette. "Can you fix it?"

"No," said Origin.

"W-why not?!" asked Sheena.

"It is beyond my power to do so," said Origin. "The trouble that besieges this planet is not of this world, nor this dimension. The imbalance is greater than my power alone can influence. "

"Not of this world?" asked Genis. "What's that mean?"

"It means exactly that," said Yuan. "The disturbance is from another dimension."

"But I thought that there were only two dimensions," said Colette, "and we put them back together a year ago."

"That was something else entirely," said Yuan. "Now, it appears that another, completely different dimension is affecting this one. I didn't think it was possible for two dimensions to affect each other unless they were right on top of each other."

"So this is similar to how Sylvarant and Tethe'alla once were," said Raine, "only the two worlds that are being affected never were one world in the first place."

"That is correct," said Origin.

"How can we fix it?" asked Lloyd. "There has to be something we can do! People are dying!"

"Normal mortals would be unfit for the task," said Origin. "However, there is one being with the power to do so."

"Who?" asked Lloyd.

"I think he means you, Bud," said Zelos.

"You're the Eternal Swordsman, Lloyd," said Colette.

"That's right," said Genis, "You have the Eternal Sword."

"If Mithos Yggdrasill was able to split one world into two," said Regal, "then maybe…"

"It should be possible for Lloyd to fix the problem," said Presea.

"I can't say I like the idea of doing this," said Raine. "Lloyd could be killed in the attempt."

"Origin," said Sheena, "Can you explain what exactly has to be done?"

"This world is being influenced by the imbalance of Mana in another dimension," said Origin. "The imbalance is subtle, yet its effect is catastrophic. One misplaced event alone, an event that does not happen as it should have, is causing the entire dimension to unravel. The imbalance will continue to grow until it is fixed or the dimension is destroyed. The destruction of one dimension will affect those that are around it. That is the cause of this and other dimension's strife."

"A… whole dimension of people," said Lloyd.

"The Lloyd you have found," continued Origin, "is from such a dimension. I can no longer find the dimension that the dead Lloyd was from."

"Then that means…" Raine's voice was higher than normal.

"Yes, Raine," said Yuan. His brow was creased as he held his chin in his hand. "The other Lloyd's dimension has been destroyed completely. There's nothing left of it, not the people, not the planet, stars, anything. It's all gone. And if I'm not mistaken, then that is what is happening to this Dimension as well."

"The process has started in this Dimension," said Origin. "Though… I cannot tell what the cause is. All things in Time seem to be as they should."

Lloyd clenched his fists and turned to the others. "I've got to do it," he said. "I've got to go out there and save the other dimensions from being destroyed. If I don't then this one… will be destroyed too."

"I was afraid of this," said Raine. She turned away from Lloyd and shook her head. "However… we'll all die if nothing is done."

"It looks like we're saving the world again," said Zelos. "Honestly, we just saved it last year. The least it could do is stay saved until after we're gone."

"Well, actually, Lloyd is already dead," said Colette. "So it seems like the appropriate time."

"Uh… Colette, I don't think that's what Zelos meant," said Genis.

"Master of the Pact," said Origin, "is it your wish to accept the task of setting right the imbalance of Mana afflicting so many other dimensions?"

"It is," said Lloyd. "But I don't have the Flamberge or the Vorpal Sword here. I'll have to get them before I can use the Eternal Sword."

Origin held two of his hands forward. The Mana floating around Origin sucked into the space above his palms. A red translucent blade formed in his right hand. A blue translucent blade formed in his left.

Lloyd's eyes grew as the two swords floated down in front of him. He reached out, and after making sure they were really there, grabbed both hilts. "The… Material Blades!" Lloyd swung them about a couple times. "It's been almost a year now."

Lloyd held the two swords up. They began emitting light and floating closer together. Eventually the two blades came into contact and merged in a flash of purple light. When the light cleared, the Eternal Sword floated before Lloyd. The others behind him all had different reactions to the presence of the mighty blade. Yuan, Zelos, Presea, and Regal watched with stoic faces of granite. Raine and Sheena looked away. Colette and Genis simply stared at the power emanating from the purple sword. The air around the blade warped slightly, as if waves of heat were flowing from the strange metal.

Lloyd grasped the hilt of the Eternal Sword. Then he looked back at Origin and nodded. Origin held out his four arms toward Lloyd. Lloyd held the Eternal Sword in front of him. The sword's glow brightened significantly. It got so bright that everyone present shielded their eyes. When the light died down, Origin and Lloyd were gone.

* * *

**Submission 3 by Ordinary Fan**

_It was a starry, cloudless night outside of Iselia. The current Eternal Swordsman and his purple-cloaked father were staring at the stars, sitting near the edge of the forest._

"_Lloyd…you really know how to make a father proud," Kratos told his son, as he decided to take a seat on a nearby stump. "Four thousand years ago, Mithos tried his hardest to fulfill his goal of uniting the world's people, only to decide that the best solution was to split them apart entirely. It's simply amazing to think that my own son could not only accomplish a task that a legendary hero could not, but also show him the error of his ways. I've spent so much time observing the world from Derris-Kharlan, and now, I can't wait to live in it with my boy."_

"_Thanks, dad, but you know I couldn't have done this alone," Lloyd replied. "You, Colette, Sheena, the Professor…heck, I was surprised that even Zelos was there for me when I really needed some help. If it wasn't for my…what was that fancy word for 'group of friends' that Genis taught me yesterday? …Oh, yeah; 'nakama'. Without my nakama, we wouldn't be living in this perfect world."_

"…'_Perfect World'. Perhaps you're exaggerating, but I do like the sound of that. You're an amazing son, and your future will almost certainly be a bright one, Lloyd. …Lloyd? …Lloyd!"_

--

"…Lloyd! Wake up! You know we've got another busy day today!"

Lloyd Irving woke up with a start. After realizing that he had yet another dream about Kratos, he tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing today. His nakama had gathered back together after their oh-so-temporary separation in order to go around the world and make it a better place yet again. One thing he hadn't counted on when it came to merging the worlds back together was the massive environmental changes. The snowy landscapes had become deserts, the plains had sprouted volcanoes…it seemed that his journey was far from over.

Lloyd turned towards Colette, the one that had awoken him. "Ugh…morning already? Five more minutes, and I swear I'll be ready."

"Oh, fine…but don't be late! We were going to start the day by finding good homes for the puppies at the local pound! Those poor little puppies…"

--

"Ugh…you'd think a freakin' savior of the free world would be a little peppier in the morning," Zelos moaned as he relaxed on his couch. The group had decided to spend last night in Meltokio, and of course, why should they sleep anywhere else if a perfectly good mansion is available to use?

"Zelos, you know that Lloyd had a rough day yesterday," Genis told him. "Fixing dams, delivering rations, rescuing those Katz…plus, I think that he still hasn't gotten over Kratos' decision to go back to Derris-Kharlan. He finally found out who his true father is, and then Kratos has to leave almost as soon as he knew the truth…it's gotta be tough on him."

Just then, Sebastian the butler approached the owner of the manor. "Excuse me, Master Zelos, but Master Bud is waiting for you.

"It's about time that lay-about got up," Zelos replied. "But why's he waiting for me upstairs? We're all pals; he can come down and talk if he wants to say something."

"…Pardon, sir? Master Bud is on the doorstep outside," Sebastian said.

"No I'm not," the now-prepped Lloyd said, coming down the stairs.

"…Okay, I'm starting to get a bit ticked off here. I think it's safe to say that SOMEONE's outside. I'd better take a look," Zelos told the others as he walked over to the front door, opened it up…and saw a teenager that was a dead ringer for Lloyd. And he was on the ground, bleeding heavily. "Oh my…Sebastian! Next time there's a guy beaten half to death on my property, don't skimp on the details! And don't just stand there; get the Apple Gels!"

--

There was a flash of light, a surge of power, the feeling of accelerating forward at a quick rate, and then…nothing. Those were the last things the Lloyd lookalike could remember before he wound up on a bed surrounded by strangely familiar faces. Had getting to this location taken more mana than he had thought? Looking at his wounded arms, the doppelganger had a feeling that it would be a while before he was healthy enough to try something like that again.

"Okay, bucko, spill," Zelos told the guy. "Lloyd having a mysterious twin sibling is a highly doubtful situation, so I'm guessing that you're either some kind of evil spy, or that my bud has some pretty nutty fanboys. I'd really appreciate it if you'd tell the truth, since there are four lovely hunnies in this room that I wouldn't let you lay a finger on without good reason."

"Stop it, Zelos; you're scaring him!" Colette ordered, thinking that the Lloyd lookalike's odd expression was a byproduct of Zelos' intimidation. "Now, Mr. Lloyd 2…should I call you that? You could be Lloyd 1, but then that would mean that we've been tricked for whom knows how long…anyways…where was I? …Uh…do you like puppies?"

"Looks like we're getting nowhere fast," Lloyd muttered, as he stepped up to take a closer look at his impersonator. Lloyd was a tad creeped out at just how similar they appeared, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. "Sorry if we're harassing you, but we don't see people like you every day. If you could tell us why you came here, we'd be happy to help you with whatever problem you have."

The other Lloyd looked at him and gave a weak smile. "So…that's what I look like here. I guess not every world is like something out of a comic book. And your aura…you are definitely the one that Origin asked me to find."

"'What I look like here'? 'Not every world'? And Origin asked you to find me? …Okay, I'm even more confused now," Lloyd uttered.

"Everything will be explained to you soon. Just…take this," the doppelganger told Lloyd, pulling some kind of crest out of his pocket and giving it to him. "I have faith in you, me from another world."

With those odd words, the…fake?…Lloyd fell into a coma, his injuries being more severe than the group had assumed. Still curious as to what the heck just happened, Lloyd examined the crest that he had received. He felt as though it was trying to absorb energy, and tried to channel a little of his inner mana into it. The next thing he knew, there was a flash of light, and a surge of power…

--

In a separate plane of existence, separate from the regular boundaries of reality, the Summon Spirits were gathered together. Volt, Efreet, Gnome…even Maxwell and Verius had shown up. Origin seemed to be leading this meeting, as he was standing in front of what appeared to be a giant screen made out of nothing but magical energy. On that screen was Lloyd, our hero Lloyd, tumbling through what looked like a giant, spectral tube of sorts.

"Do not worry, my fellow governors of mana; the Eternal Swordsman has begun his journey," Origin told the others. "As we all know, while his actions were wise, this Lloyd has created a rift in the fabric of time and space due to the continued existence of a Great Tree that was never meant to live. This rift has altered many similar dimensions, causing catastrophes like those in the world that other Lloyd had come from. While the chances of a single person fixing an error in the cosmic balance itself are quite slim, we have witnessed this man's talents firsthand, and I feel safe to say that our trust is not misguided. While it will likely be a pain to explain these details to him and help to guild him on his journey, we shouldn't let his hard work and idealistic visions all be in vain. So, my companions…let the adventure begin."

* * *

**Submission 4 by Moonshine's Guide**

_The fusion of two worlds brought both peace and calamity. Mountains stood where plains once were; lakes became dry beds, oceans rose and sank while coastlines shifted. People found new neighbors; monsters found they had new competition. In spite of the great challenges that faced the world and her inhabitants, the denizens slowly began to band together. Palmacosta was slowly rebuilt, and the reconstructions of Luin was finished. Former enemies became allies, allies became better friends. Out of the shards of the old world, a new world slowly emerged. However, not all was well. While the world rocked with the convulsions born from the birth of the new world, another conflict quietly began._

_One would not notice this burgeoning calamity, hiding quietly under the detritus left in the wake of the disasters and clashes of the new world. Over time, scholars noted that the earthquakes increased in frequency, rather than ceasing; that the tides were erratic, no longer subject to the laws that had once bound them; of the monsters who grew steadily more aggressive in the months that followed the new world's birth. Desperately, the scientists and researchers of both worlds began to search for the cause of the catastrophes. In the meantime, the heroes who had reunited the two worlds were called forth to help deal with the repercussions of the disasters. _

_And that is where our story begins._

The town of Izoold was in ruins. The port town had always been in danger from the sea, but never had a disaster of this magnitude struck the town. An earthquake struck Palmacosta, and the shockwaves from the original disaster had caused a tsunami to strike the port town. Hundreds were dead, the warning system designed by Sybak had failed. Miserably.

Raine picked her way through the detritus, attempting to find any survivors. What warning's had come to the small too late, for even if the villager's had been able to flee, there would not have been enough time to travel out of the danger zone. Many of the buildings had been washed away, and the edifices that remained were in shambles. Bodies were scattered around, grim pieces of flesh scattered like confetti at a wedding.

There was little that Half-Elven healer could do. Most of the population had died when the tsunami hit, either by drowning or being crushed by debris. There was always the possibility that someone was alive in this sea of death, and that was what kept the healer going.

She wondered briefly, if the others were having more luck than she. All Raine seemed to find was wood from houses, fish left gasping for breath on land, and bodies lying breathless under and on the remnants of Izoold. Shells crunched under her feet as she made her way along the path.

"Hey Sis! Sis! Over here!" Raine's head snapped to face the direction from where Genis's voce called. There was a desperate note in his voice, one that caused her to immediately start to race to her brother's side.

Genis was kneeling beside a familiar red clad form, his hands pressing against the prostrate form's stomach. From between the half-elf's fingers, blood seemed to spurt out at a dizzying pace. Raine's pace increased, and she began to desperately cast healing spells on Lloyd.

It did no good. The blood kept pouring out of gashes that covered a good portion of the Eternal Swordsman despite of the healing spells Raine used. Genis tried to apply the Apple Gels he had, but…

Lloyd Irving died on the beach, with his teacher and his best friend kneeling beside him.

The two carried his body back to the camp, where the sight was met with anguished wails. The Great Hero was dead. The hero who had saved Sylvarant from the Desians, the hero who had helped to reunite the two worlds, was dead. The news spread through the Izoold team like wildfire, uncontrollable, grief streaking in wake of the news.

Zelos was one of the first to know, having been working in the camp as a healer with his limited healing spells. The rest of the friends were in other locales attempting to help where they were. Other helpers, who had met Lloyd for the first time when the four had arrived to help, mourned as well.

Lloyd's body was laid out on a bed in a tent that was located in the makeshift infirmary. Access was barred to all except to the closet of the hero's friends.

The group, comprised of Raine, Genis, and Zelos had been speaking of who would be the one to tell Dirk, when a familiar voice spoke up, and asked what they were all upset about.

Heads swiveled between the body on the bed and the figure that stood in the entrance to the tent.

Genis reacted first. "Lloyd?" he squeaked, confused.

"Who else? Did you get hit on the head, Genis?" Lloyd Irving, the Eternal Swordsman, asked, looking curiously at his friends. "What's the matter? Seen a ghost?"

Before the boy could do anything else, he was assaulted with questions, who he was, what he had been doing, where he had been, what was his favorite food, his favorite color, how had he gotten that scar, what was Zelos's favorite store in Meltokio, when Genis had gotten his Kendama, what he gave Colette for her birthday, everything under the sun and everything that wasn't.

The Lloyd who stood in the doorway answered the onslaught in a confused tone, trying to figure out why his friends were hounding him so. Only once they were sure that the Lloyd who just arrived was their Lloyd, did the questioning cease. Lloyd himself was confused at his friends actions, until he saw his look-alike on the bed. The three parted for him, as Lloyd Irving, the real Lloyd Irving, approached the battered body that bore a visage that was uncannily identical to the real thing.

"I found him on the beach…" Genis explained. "We thought it was you…"

Lloyd nodded, solemnly, as he examined the body. He was more than a little shocked. It was an eerie feeling, to look down and see a person who looked identical to himself, except… he… wasn't… breathing…

"I'm going to see Origin," Lloyd stated suddenly, twirling around and marching towards the exit.

"Why?" Raine asked, moving to intercept her student, the inquiry echoed by Zelos and Sheena.

Lloyd paused, at the tent's flap. "The earthquakes, tsunamis, the tornados… the Triet Desert become a snowy plain, Flanoir warming up… monster attacks on the rise… Exire's been having trouble staying in the air, and now somebody, who looks just like me! There's something wrong here… and Origin might know. I'm going to go see him and find out what I can do. We reunited the worlds, and now we have to make sure that this new world isn't destroyed."

Raine nodded. "The weather phenomena is unusual… and the death toll is starting to rise. Perhaps we should go see Origin…"

"Professor, you should stay here to help the survivors. Zelos, you too. Your healing skills and your fighting skills are needed here," Lloyd stated. "I'll be fine."

"I'm coming with you," Genis looked up at his friend. "You shouldn't go alone. There are some hard monsters in Torrent Forrest." The young half elf brandished his kendama. "And besides… I want to know why there are two of you. That's twice as much idiocy as normal…"

Lloyd scowled. "Don't say that Genis…" he replied, a slight whine entering his voice.

"I'm kidding Lloyd," Genis deadpanned.

"Hey, you two sure you can handle it? The Great Zelos Wilder will be happy to come and help," Zelos slung an arm around Lloyd's shoulders. "I'm glad you're not dead bud…" The ex-Chosen of Tethe'alla looked over at the body of the look-alike that lay on the bed. "Honestly, if this was a prank, it was not cool. Not cool at all."

"We'll be fine! Honestly!" Lloyd protested. "Genis and I'll get to the bottom of this. Professor, can you handle it here?"

The Professor had shifted her glance to examine the look-alike. "I'll be fine. You two are the ones I worry about…" Her gaze shifted from the look-alike to her brother and her student. "I'll examine the body a little closer. I've heard rumors about a process called fomicry that can replicate a person perfectly… or almost perfectly. Perhaps that is the source of our…" She searched for the proper wording. "Friend here."

Lloyd grinned. "Awesome. You guys take care of the stuff here, and Genis and I'll go see what's up with Origin. Can you tell the others?"

"I don't see why not…" Zelos replied with a shrug. "We're supposed talk later, about the condition of Izoold and Palmacosta. Good luck with Origin."

Lloyd nodded. "Good luck here; you'll need it more than I will." And with those words, Lloyd and Genis departed.

The Torrent Forrest was just as the two remembered it, if only a bit more wild, and the monsters a bit more fearsome. The two made their way through the ancient forest, Lloyd slicing his way through, and Genis blasting his opponents away with his magic.

Even at their best, it took longer than the duo expected, to reach Origin's shrine in the forest's center.

Lloyd glanced around the clearing for a moment. It was here that he fought Kratos… it was here that Mithos had possessed Genis, and had run to Welgaia… the weight of memories pressed upon him for a moment, before the Eternal Hero shook it off. There were things to do.

"Origin, we need to speak," Lloyd stated plainly, standing before the simple stone slab that was Origin's shrine. Genis stood next to him, watching carefully, and keeping a lookout for monsters. With the recent changes in behavior, not even the most experienced were quite able to tell what a monster might attempt nowadays.

"You who possess the right. I have been waiting." In a flash of light, the king of the Summon Spirits appeared, two arms crossed across the Spirit's chest. "This world is dying."

There was a moment of silence, before Lloyd let out, "What?! What do you mean?"

"This world? What do you mean by this world?" Genis asked at the same time, staring up at the Summon Spirit.

"Easy; I shall explain. You know that the world was split into two by the Hero Mithos, and that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla existed on two separate dimensions, correct?"

"Yeah! We learned that on the journey!" Lloyd said. "I thought that reuniting the two worlds would prevent the world from dying!"

"Yes; that would be so, if these were the only two worlds." Origin stated, taking in the heroes's dumbfounded looks. "Watch." He swept one of his hands through the air before him. "I have just touched thousands of worlds with that one motion. Each in its own dimension, but all sharing a mana flow… and when that mana flow is corrupted…"

"The world starts to die," Genis concluded. "So what's causing the corruption?"

Origin bowed his head. "I cannot be sure… there are several possible causes, but I cannot investigate them. I am needed to supervise what remains of the uncorrupted mana, and ensure that the worlds continue to survive until my Avatar can find the source. Lloyd…"

Lloyd had been silent, listening quietly to Origin's tale. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could have saved lives if we had set out earlier!"

"We, the Summon Spirits, did not think the problem was as bad as it is. We misjudged the problem. And now, the world shows the consequences of our erroneous actions." Origin explained this calmly, watching Lloyd carefully. "Soon, it will be too late. Lloyd… you must take up arms once more, and travel throughout the dimensions. For the only way to save this world is find the source of the corruption."

Lloyd never hesitated. "I'll do it. But if something like this happens again, I don't want to be left in the dark for so long. Tell somebody, so we can save lives."

Chuckling echoed throughout the small clearing. "Arrogant you are, presuming to tell a Summon Spirit what to do. Nevertheless, you will have to make this journey alone."

"Why?" Genis glanced over at Lloyd. "We were able to do the last journey together…"

"But this time, the Eternal Sword must be used to pierce and travel through the dimensions. And somebody must tell the others of your group what has happened. So lives can be saved." Origin's arms uncrossed. "Lloyd Irving, this will be a difficult journey. You will be alone. You will be unable to tell those of the dimension that you are from another dimension. You will have to figure out what is wrong in each dimension, and set it to rights. Do you accept this task, Lloyd Irving?"

"I do," Lloyd replied without a doubt. "I'll help to save this world again, and help to save the other dimensions. Everybody has a right to live." He glanced back at Genis. "Can you guys handle it here?"

"No sweat!" Genis reassured his friend, pumping his fist in the air. "The sooner you get rid of the mana corruption, the sooner we can get the world back to normal! So come back safely, all right?"

Lloyd smiled. "Of course, you dork. What makes you think I won't come back in any other condition? Will you tell the others?"

"Of course! And once we get everything straightened out here, maybe we could come help you. I'm sure Yuan has something we could use."

Origin had let the two speak for one last time before he stepped back in. "If you are ready, then step forth Lloyd Irving, and I shall show you how to pass through the Dimensions."

With a wave goodbye to Genis, Lloyd Irving stepped forth, and began a whole new journey.

* * *

**Submission 5 by Baby Kat Snophlake**

He could finally breathe, not that it helped his situation. The Trees below him were growing, the ants were revealed to be a packs of spiders, wolves, and humans dispersed around giant squares on the ground that were beginning to look suspiciously like house roofs. He used his newfound clarity of mind for panicking…

He was falling, flailing his arms desperately at the air hoping to catch hold of something, anything that would prevent him from slamming into the ground. As the nearest hope for survival was the Tower of Salvation and not within several miles of him, he was better off hoping a giant hand would swoop out of the sky and grab him.

He was deaf from the air rushing over his ears, but somehow his how heartbeat still hammered loudly enough as if afraid he would forget it was there. Perhaps he could catch on a tree limb, land in the water, or… he'd even take a nice pile of manure if it meant he'd live. But the field below him offered no such promise.

Once he hit ground, he knew it would be a miracle to survive….

The last thing he heard was the townspeople screaming before he crashed spread-eagle into the earth.

All around him villagers gathered, staring down at him, and exchanging puzzled expressions. The red outfit with dark blue pants, the wind-blown brown hair, and red boots... this was Lloyd Irving, the savior of the two worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. He had traveled the worlds searching for a way to save everyone from the system created by Cruxis where both worlds vied for the same diminishing supply of mana. He was the one leading crusades of peace across both continents now that the worlds had been combined and a new Great Tree was sprouted.

Why then, had he just fallen from the sky?

One woman bent over him, checking his neck for a pulse. Her face had drained of color as she stood up again, her mouth hanging wordlessly open. Everyone else's eyes were on her, waiting, but none of them wanted her to confirm what they feared. She barely whispered when air finally gave breath to her words. "He's… he's dead…"

"Well how can that be?" A fellow villager hollered, finally having recovered from the initial shock. "He's got wings, I've seen them! Why didn't he use them?"

She didn't answer. Another villager chose to reply instead. "Well, maybe he couldn't use them?"

"That's just silly," an older woman said, but she sounded unsure of herself. "His wings are the wings of angels, they can't just fail him."

"Then why didn't he use them?" came the outraged response, but any reply to that was forgotten.

The ground violently shook and clicking pincers and yelping wolves told them they weren't the only ones to notice.

Everyone scattered. The quake shook thatches from the houses, literally splitting them in half. Fences were ripped asunder, nails and poles torn from their holes, leaves and fruit littered the grass at the base of the trees, and every bird in the vicinity took flight. Amidst the screaming were people hollering for their children or barking orders to anyone who would listen.

Only one panic-stricken young woman noticed the wolves were storming right over the Lloyd-shaped pit where his body had fallen. She cowered over him protectively, clutching his shoulders. Her eyes widened with every yard closer the wolves had become until she ducked her head just as a wolf leapt over her. She felt heavy feet pounding into her back, squashing the wind out of her.

"Damage guard!" A wolf yelped, tripping on the new shield that erupted below him. She glanced up. They were still coming with their tongues hanging and their tails between their legs. None of them were baring teeth; in fact, Colette Brunel was surprised to see the fear behind their eyes. It felt like years that they marched around and occasionally over them, treating them like mere boulders they had to hurdle.

What else struck her was the size of the wolf pack. Never had they traveled in one giant herd. Never had they passed by a human village without a sideways glance at dinner. If she hadn't of felt the earthquake before they approached, she would've wondered if they were the cause….

When the pack ended in a sudden break, it left Colette lying over Lloyd's dead body still in a state of shock.

She rose to stand on shaky feet. The ground was still shivering; trees lurched as if pushed around by violent winds from all directions. Giant spiders crawled over the rubble of houses like ants on their hill, scurrying for something they couldn't seem to find. The villagers, however, were nowhere to be seen, but Colette knew they had taken shelter near Martel's Temple. Surely, their Goddess Martel would protect them. Colette only hoped the temple's structure would protect them from the earthquake as well.

It was then that she saw the most spectacular thing… A giant pad-footed beast covered from nose to flag tail with blue and white fur bounded across the grass towards the village of spiders. On its back, half hidden by a pair of giant bat-like ears was a red-clad, brown-haired boy she knew as Lloyd Irving.

The snow-white feathered wings on his back were spread to full length and the sun shining on his face gave him a celestial appearance. Even Noishe's fur seemed to shimmer giving off a faint silver lining. Even with his dead body at her feet, Colette had no doubt in her heart that Lloyd had returned to help them.

But Noishe wasn't dead and Lloyd seemed so… solid….

As Colette watched from a distance, Lloyd leapt from Noishe's back, swinging his twin swords as he tore into the frenzied spiders. Her gaze dropped to the body at her feet. A gentle touch with her foot connected, shoving a solid body sideways. When she glanced up again, Lloyd was still fighting, only now he was flecked with spider blood. Not only that, but he had been bitten in the forearm which was now bleeding from a slit in his clothes.

She bent to pick up the body. He was definitely heavy. She carried him like a large child towards the village. The spiders were scrambling anew; Lloyd killed as many as he could reach, and was now chasing those that he couldn't. Dark stains blotched his clothes. Her eyes fell to the body in her arms, gazing up at her, empty, unseeing. The same young face belonged to both of them, one was definitely dead, and the other was clearly alive. In the distance, Lloyd had dug a sword into the dirt, using it to support himself as he panted. His arm bled freely, but when he raised his eyes to hers, the life within them lit up as always when he saw her.

Until his attention was diverted to the dead body in her arms.

His hand rose unconsciously to his wounded arm, the smile on his face dissipated, and a moment of confusion flashed in his eyes. She stepped closer almost hoping he would have an answer for her. She was happy to see him there, but by all accounts he shouldn't have been standing there at all. She half-expected him to vanish with every step she took. Half-expected him to smile, spread his wings, and fly back to the heavens. She hoped even that he would laugh and declare that he was teasing her; that he had actually dropped the body then came to the village to defend it.

What she didn't expect was a serious face, coupled with his reaching for his arm to pinch his wound, causing his whole body to flinch from the pain, and then staring back at her with panic.

"I-I-That spider wasn't poisonous!" He took a step back, clearly sweating. "I feel fine, really. I'm okay, there's… nothing wrong with me." He glanced at Noishe, exchanging looks with the animal before peering back at Colette who stood fixed in one spot. He whistled to his pet Protozoan, threw his legs over the animal's back, and pushed him into a heavy gallop. They were headed north towards the temple.

[line break]

Lloyd wiped his brow. Whether it was sweat or blood, it didn't matter. Any kind of moisture there meant that he was still alive. His heart was definitely trying to break his ribs, his lungs were definitely filling rapidly with air. But the image of Colette standing there, carrying his own dead body swam in his mind's eye… It was like watching a still picture that flickered with the same scene and never changed. Real life was the background that remained unnoticed. What did it mean seeing his lifeless body? Was it an omen? Was his time coming up? Was he really… about to die?

He glanced over his shoulder. She wasn't following him. Was she at the Martel Temple with the others? Was what he had seen just an apparition? Did that mean that Colette was already dead and she was telling him he was next? He pulled Noishe to a stop at the base of the stone stairs leading to the temple and sauntered up on his own two feet. He wanted to see her peering down the steps at him, smiling as if nothing had happened, but he also wanted her to be behind him laughing at him for the excellent reaction to a prank.

He stepped over forgotten litter, socks, random trinkets, and a shoe that had been left behind in a hurry. None of it belonged to Colette. Nor were there Colette-shaped stumble marks anywhere on the stairs. Surely she couldn't crawl up these steps without falling at least once in the confusion, right?

The ground had finally quit shaking. He was relieved to look up and see the steeple of the temple still reaching to the sky. His nerves seemed to calm with the more of the temple coming into view until the sight of everyone's face peering back at him safe and sound made him pause.

Colette wasn't there.

What did that mean? Lloyd glanced over his shoulder. Maybe she was late catching up. Maybe the front row of people were hiding her, and she was standing farther into the temple? He wandered up a few more steps, hopeful, but he never made it far. The tear-streaked faces staring back at him had gone pale. Nearly everyone stepped back to the temple, holding their breath as their eyes had grown to the size of saucers. One more step forward and they all leapt back as if a particularly deadly snake was approaching.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Everyone screamed, squeezing into the temple like mice into a too-small hovel. He thought he heard shouting, but he had to have misunderstood them….

"It's a ghost!"

"Oh, dear, Our Beloved Goddess! Forgive us!"

"Goddess Martel, help us!"

"It's the apocalypse!"

This time he cut himself on one of his swords to make sure he bled. Sure enough, blood trickled down his finger as he stared at it. Had they seen Colette carrying Lloyd too? Did they mistake him for that apparition? At least that would explain their behavior, and maybe that what he had seen was real but… it didn't explain why it was there at all.

"Lloyd?"

Any other time that voice would've been welcomed. It was shaky, streaked with concern; any other time he would've turned in a heartbeat to comfort the speaker, but this time, it was more like being dumped into a cold bath in Flanoir, and he shivered just as violently. What would he see if he turned around? Would she be carrying his body still? Was it that the apparition was now talking to him? Was it really Colette standing behind him? His mouth went dry.

"Lloyd?" This time the voice was cracked and barely audible. She was quite afraid of something.

"Y-yes…?" He slowly turned.

Colette stood on a step below him, staring up with a clammy face. Her bangs clung to her and her hair was sprawled disheveled over her shoulders. Her white outfit was covered in dirt, but her arms were, thankfully, devoid of any dead bodies. He grinned. "Colette!"

A hesitant smiled graced her. "So… so it's really you, Lloyd?"

"Yes." He laughed, relief washing away his cold shiver. This couldn't be an apparition if she was so nervous. His laughter died. Why was she nervous? But as he searched her face for an answer, she seemed to recover a little, even breaking out in a wider smile.

"I'm so happy! I thought something had happened to you."

His heart relinquished beating. His mouth formed the words, but his lungs were just as shocked into standstill as the rest of his body was. Colette reached to brush her fingers against his cheek. She jumped upon contact, her eyes widening.

"But… this doesn't make sense!"

"Huh?" was all he could manage.

She sighed, looking away. "I don't know."

He had definitely felt her. She was even beginning to shake, wiping her eyes on her sleeve to hide that she was tearing up. She wasn't an apparition but now he was almost wishing she was. It would've been much easier to deal with than this. "What's wrong?" Though he had a feeling it has something to do with the apparition.

She raised her eyes again. "He felt so real. He was solid like you. He made a hole in the ground. But you are right here."

He was only vaguely aware of the higher pitch in his voice. "Wha…? What did you say? What do you mean 'he was solid like you'?"

"I don't know how to explain it," she said, now looking at him with more confusion than fear. "You just… fell out of the sky."

"I don't understand."

"I don't either!" Colette took his hand, shivered as if expecting not to make contact, and pulled him back down the steps. He stood stiff for a moment, hardly wishing to go with her and find out he really had seen her holding his dead body. She insisted, tugging at him until he moved. When he did though, it was more like he was standing over himself following her. He wasn't being led anywhere; he was following on his own free will, hovering as an observer.

When she stopped, it was at a boy with brown hair, dressed in red and blue, laying rigor mortis on the ground. His eyes were glossy sending further tremors down Lloyd's back. He had the same face as the dead boy, the same hair, the same outfit. As it were, there was no difference between them except life and death, though for a moment even that difference felt the same.

"He's solid just like you are," Colette said. He heard her but it sounded too distant to be coming from beside him. He wanted to kneel down, feel the boy's throat for a pulse, check for straw under the skin, but the face was too real-looking for a joke. He wanted to turn back and run, put as much distance between himself and the body. Why did it look so much like himself?

"M-maybe we can… you know… ask around. Maybe Origin would know… something." He searched for any kind of hint in her face that she was jerking him around, but he only saw the same serious expression that he himself wore. She glanced at him, a flash of hope until she saw his face.

"Are you sure you aren't teasing me, Lloyd?"

"Huh? Why would I do that?" Though the same idea about her vanished with his next heartbeat.

"Oh—o-okay, we'll ask Origin about it, then."

[Line Break]

Noishe squirmed before Lloyd could throw the dead body over his back. He could smell the death emanating from the body and that mixed with Lloyd's usual scent disconcerted him. It was at Colette's insistence and tying Noishe to several poles to keep him still enough to tie the body down.

"Hold still, Noishe." Lloyd said. "We need to bring him with us." Noishe whined, unrelenting with his fidgeting even after Lloyd finished securing his double's dead body. He walked alongside Noishe with Colette, exchanging silent glances between them. Their confusion kept them company the whole trip to the relocated town of Mizuho, though Lloyd's thoughts often strayed to how he would tell Sheena and Origin about the situation. Just flat out saying that Lloyd had a replica, oh by the way he fell from the sky and died sounded like something he would say to earn a stay in a madhouse.

It would help that they had the dead Lloyd with them, but Sheena was bound to react the same way that Lloyd and Colette did. She would think it was a joke they had thrown together. Lloyd was even still peeking under the blanket for any sign of sewing stitches or hay. Instead, what he saw was blood pooling in the lowest points which were now his head, hands, and feet. He was even hoping to just wake up suddenly but he found himself lying awake at night and unable to fall asleep to wake up from anyway. Dreams just didn't last this long…

When Mizuho finally came into view, he greeted it with sick anticipation instead of the hope of finally getting some answers. He and Colette stood at the gates with Noishe who had by now learned a new gait which involved dancing and bucking. A woman in a purple kimono tied with a pink obi came to greet with an eyebrow raised as she watched Noishe twitch.

"Is he seizing?" She asked.

Lloyd shook his head. "No, he's just carrying a dead body. Look, Sheena, we need to talk to Origin."

Sheena put a hand to her hip, tilting her head with curiosity. Her eyes settled on the lump on Noishe's back before flitting back to Lloyd's face. "What are you carrying a dead body for?"

"That's the reason we need to see Origin." Lloyd replied. He finally untied the body and let it fall in a heap to the ground. Noishe took the opportunity to shake free his loose hair and shivers and put enough distance between himself and the body that he disappeared into the trees surrounding the new town. Lloyd ignored him. "You see, this guy just fell from the sky and now he's dead."

"And you want to know where he came from?" Sheena said. She knelt, reaching for the blanket covering him, but Lloyd caught her.

"That's exactly it." He swallowed. "He's umm… he looks just like me."

"What?"

"That's right, Sheena." Colette said. "He's exactly alike, like a double or a-a twin."

Sheena laughed. "You can't be serious. A twin?" She checked both their faces, but they frowned. Lloyd pulled back the blanket on his own, revealing the now reddened face of Lloyd Irving. Sheena couldn't tear her eyes away if she tried. The brown flyaway hair was beginning to matt, and his mouth was hanging open in an eerie silent scream. He certainly looked like Lloyd, but worse yet, he definitely was a dead body.

She finally inhaled, raising her hands for the summoning. There was no sense waiting another minute for the answers they traveled so far to get. "I call upon the source of heaven earth and everything in between. The ruler of all, I summon thee. Come! Origin!"

A bright light blinded them all. When it dissipated a four-armed man was floating above them with short blonde hair, piercing eyes, and red pearlescent wings. He had the body of a human who had worked hard his whole life successfully giving him the look deserving of the ruler of all the summon spirits. He folded two of his arms across his chest, but the others hung at his side as he took in the sight before him.

At first he said nothing, merely switching between Sheena's pale face to Lloyd and Colette's confused expressions, and the dead Lloyd's stare. When he spoke it was an unhelpful grunt.

"Can you tell us what's going on?" Lloyd asked, gesturing to the body. "He just fell out of the sky. Why does he look like me?"

"It seems that someone is interfering with the worlds." Origin said.

"Worlds? Do you mean there are still other worlds out there?" Sheena asked. She checked with Lloyd and Colette as if to make sure they were just as surprised as she was.

"Indeed."

"Well, even if there are other worlds, why does he look like me?" Lloyd asked again. "I didn't find anyone in Tethe'alla who looked like anyone from Sylvarant."

"That's because Sylvarant and Tethe'alla make up Aselia. Beyond this world are countless others with the same name."

"That's kind of hard to believe," Sheena said, but she was giving the body more nervous attention.

Origin nodded. "Yes, I imagine it is. But you see, Lloyd coming here wasn't supposed to happen. Someone is interfering with the worlds."

"You mean another world, somewhere, is missing their Lloyd Irving? While ours is standing right here? How can this be?"

"It's simple, Sheena," Origin said. "Someone picked up Lloyd Irving from another world and brought him here. They are interfering. They need to be stopped."

"How do you stop someone who can travel through the different worlds?" Lloyd asked.

"Send someone after them who can travel through the different worlds as well."

The three humans exchanged glances. Colette cleared her throat. "So umm… who did you have in mind?"

"I was wondering, but I think I know now. I could grant the power to jump from one world to the next to the Eternal Sword." As Origin spoke, Lloyd had a deep unsettling weight dragging his stomach to his feet. "Seems as you know about the other Lloyds and the other worlds, perhaps you would be the best choice."

"N-no…" Lloyd's voice was again, unusually high. "I-I… what would I do? Once I got there."

"You aren't the same idealist who told me he could save Aselia."

"I think that's a fair question, Origin," Colette said. "What would he have to do once he arrived at a new world?"

"Every world is different. For some reason that I have not yet understood, things are going wrong all over. Here is a map that will show you." Origin produced a parchment out of nowhere and released it, allowing it to float gently to Lloyd's awaiting hands. The map lay still momentarily, but as Lloyd wondered why it showed him nothing, what looked like a hologram of a tree grew out from the parchment. The tree was all sorts of colors, red, yellow, blue, and green, and some of them, mostly red, were flashing.

"What is this?" Lloyd asked.

"That is Hand-held Multiple Dimension Coordinate Mark System. It shows you all of the different worlds and what state they are in. The green ones are healthy, the red need your assistance right away. The yellow will eventually become red, and the blue are worlds that are currently unstable but don't require immediate attention."

The red places on the tree gave Lloyd a feeling of foreboding. How was he to save that many worlds? "Is this even possible?"

"It needs to be done. The mana throughout all the worlds is unbalanced. The more worlds that fail, the more unbalanced the mana, and the more unbalanced the mana, even more worlds will fail. Eventually, even the healthy ones will wane until there is nothing left. I am asking you, Lloyd, to travel to these worlds one by one and save them from their crises."

"Can I get some help?"

"I can recharge the Eternal Sword with the mana necessary to send you to another world. But if the mana is weakened and unstable, I will not be able to send more than just you. It is also far better to have fewer people invading a world within which they do not belong. We shouldn't even be sending you away from this world, but someone is traveling from one world to the next stirring up problems. We have no choice but to respond with someone of our own to fix them."

"But that means he won't have anyone to help him," Sheena said. "What if something happens to him?"

"I will know if it does." Origin replied. "Also, Lloyd won't be alone. If he needs help, he can enlist those who are native to the world he is visiting. I advise, though, against choosing another Lloyd Irving or someone who would recognize you for the sake of keeping the trouble to a minimum."

"Wait," Lloyd said. "Not only am I working alone, if I need help, I'll need to be undercover to get it? Are you sure I can do this?"

"If you are having doubts, perhaps I was wrong to ask for your assistance. You are, after all, the one who saved your own world from its crisis."

"But, Mr. Origin?" Colette moved to better see his face. "If our Lloyd saved us, why can't the Lloyds from the other worlds save their own worlds too?"

"Some of them are not as capable," Origin said simply. "Other worlds don't have a Lloyd to help them. They are all different."

Lloyd stared at the hologram tree sticking out of the parchment on his hand. Another spot turned yellow as he watched and his mind drifted to the villages of people in his own world who had to suffer until he could save them; to Marble, an old woman from Palmacosta whom he couldn't save in time and he wound up killing her; to people who had been forced to suffer in Desian ranches where they turned everyone into Exspheres… If it was true that the red spots were worlds where people were suffering… he couldn't just turn his back on them, especially if they had no Lloyd Irving of their own to help them.

With newfound determination he raised his eyes to gaze into Origin's and he nodded. "I will do my best."


	2. Arc 1, Chapter 1 Entries

Katnote: Not as many entrees this time, but enjoy regardless! Remember, to find a submission by title use the search option to find "Submission" and the number. Oh, and this time, the votes were so close, I had to flip a coin to see which one to post. Sorry V...

**Submission 2**

Arc: 1

Chapter: 1

Title: "Stranger In A Not So Strange Land"

**By: I.K.A. Valian**

**---**

**Origin's Advice**: "_Dear readers, I am Origin. Allow me to show you what is different._"

Princess Hilda paced back and forth in her room. The plush carpet had a line worn into it from the repetitive motion. A knock to the large wooden door, ornately inlayed with gold, brought the princess to a stop.

"Come," she said. She folded her hands in front of her as the door admitted a large, sinister man. "Report," Hilda said.

"The assassin has been sent, your highness," the man said. "The Chosen will be dead within the week."

**---**

**Chapter One**

"Hey! Stan! Where did this kid in red come from?"

Lloyd blinked a couple times. His head felt like Noishe was sitting on it. The only thing he saw that he could make sense out of was the gloved hand that reached down and grasped his shirt just. He grunted as he was lifted into the air.

"He looks like one of the drunks we picked up last night," replied the man that must have been Stan. "We let them go this morning, but this one must have been missed."

"What say we have a little fun with him?" asked the man holding him in the air.

Lloyd let his head slump to one side so he could see Stan. Stan was one ugly man. And the grin he wore did nothing to make that problem go away.

"Sounds like fun," Stan said. "The next round is up in a couple minutes. As soon as that Regal guy is done, let's throw him in next."

Lloyd tried paying attention to what they were saying, but the world around him started to swim into itself. His head felt like it wasn't just Noishe sitting on his head, but Colette and Genis as well. He was aware of movement, but the swaying of his head made his stomach lurch and he quickly brought his hand up to hold it in.

With the gentleness of a gorilla handling a burlap sack of potatoes, Lloyd was dropped to the dusty ground. When his head hit the ground, a blossom of white exploded behind his eyes and blinded him. He could hear thunderous applause and cheering. Very close to him he could hear loud thumping. It sounded like the Coliseum.

When his vision came back, he was looking up into the jaws of a dragon. His eyes shot open and he rolled away as the dragon's large maw crashed into the earth. Scrambling away as fast as he could, Lloyd looked back and forth, taking in the dragon, the stadium around him, the dragon, the hundreds of manically cheering fans, and the dragon.

His brain finally decided to clear and Lloyd immediately reached for his swords. Unsheathing the material blades, Lloyd grimaced from the circumstance he found himself in and charged forward. The dragon roared at him and charged as well. The two met in the center where everyone saw what happened.

Lloyd leaped into the air and performed one attack. With that attack, the dragon fell apart into four pieces. The name of the attack, Rising Phoenix, echoed throughout the suddenly quiet Coliseum.

Lloyd landed and looked back over his shoulder, sheathing the material blades with a couple fancy twists in the air. The crowed suddenly erupted. Where there was jeering, there was now cheering. Even Stan, the man who stood in a corner, was rooting with his fist in the air.

Lloyd grimaced as he put two and two together. He arrived in the jail underneath the castle. He was in Meltokio. Now he just had to find out what it was he had to do here to fix this dimension.

"Easier said than done," he said under his breath.

As he was being escorted out, two soldiers walked up to him. He watched quizzically as they leveled their poleaxes at him. As their weapons threatened to poke a few new nostrils in his face, Lloyd glanced nervously back and forth between the two soldiers and innocently raised his hands into the air.

"This man is to be taken into royal custody," said the knight on the left. His helmet turned toward Stan and the other prison guard. It was obvious to Lloyd they were waiting for the two guards to back away. They quickly caught on.

The two soldiers grabbed Lloyd. He frowned as he tried to think of what these two knights could possibly want with him. Could he have traveled back through time as well? Was he still wanted in Tethe'alla? Or had his other self done something before he arrived?

"Hey," Lloyd said, "tell me what I did."

"Shut up, criminal," the guard to his right said. "Anymore out of you and we'll cut your tongue off."

Lloyd swallowed. He remained quiet for the remainder of the journey. They traveled through Meltokio to the center of the city. There they headed up the main road toward the castle. The soldiers at the door opened and allowed Lloyd to be marched in. He was led to a door and shoved into the room beyond. The guards remained outside.

"Wow," Lloyd said, rubbing his arms. "Talk about hospitality going out the win-"

"I was watching you in the coliseum battle today." Lloyd turned and found Princess Hilda sitting in a plush chair. Her fingers played with golden tassels attached to the high arms. "I have a proposition for you. Take care of some business for me and I'll have your sentence dropped."

Lloyd stared at the Princess.

At Lloyd's hesitation, she stood up and made her way toward an open window that looked out on a courtyard two stories below. "If you don't, then you will find yourself back in the coliseum…" Hilda glanced sideways at Lloyd, daring him to say no with her eyes. Like syrup dripping from her venomous tongue, she said, "and you'll be tied to a post."

'_The hell… I'm getting out of here._' Lloyd turned and started for the door. He paused when his hand touched the handle as a notion occurred to him. '_Maybe this is what I'm here for. Origin never actually said what it was I had to do._'

"What was it you had in mind," Lloyd asked, turning around. Hilda turned to face him fully and smiled, a gesture that seemed too comfortable on her supple face. She motioned for Lloyd to join her at the window. Lloyd hesitated a moment and then walked forward.

As soon as Lloyd was there, she pointed down into the courtyard at a young man sitting on a bench in a mini-garden. His soft red hair gave him away even at this distance. Zelos, for his part, was only sparing his attention for the flowers in front of him.

"I want you to take the Chosen's little brother out for a… 'walk', and then he's going to have a little… 'accident'." Hilda clasped her hands in front of her as she looked at Lloyd like a coy vixen. Lloyd's face remained as hard as his heart would have to be had his intention been to follow her orders. Finally, Lloyd nodded without looking up at the Princess. "Oh good, thank you so much. You'll be _greatly_ rewarded."

'_Chosen's little brother… then… Seles?_' Lloyd coughed into his hand and faced Hilda. She was already on her way out of the room when he'd made the noise. She paused and looked at him.

"What about the Chosen?" he asked. "It's not like she'll be happy about what's going on."

Hilda smiled, the coy vixen replaced by a vile serpent. "Don't worry about that cow," Hilda said callously. "She's being… taken care of. Now, I've kingdoms to usurp and people to silence. The guard will inform you of the details."

Lloyd nodded and allowed his stone mask to lift once the princess was gone. He grinned like Noishe did right after the wolf-dog got away with stealing Lloyd's underwear. He felt a rush of adrenalin rush through him as he contemplated how he'd tricked the Princess. Not only that, but he'd stumbled upon the mission almost as if it had been planned. He idly wondered, as he strolled toward the door, if Origin had a hand in these matters.

The guard at the door escorted him to the outskirts of Meltokio. Once there, while they waited for Zelos to arrive, the guard explained that Lloyd was a mercenary hired to protect Zelos on his trip back to the church that he normally lived at. Lloyd played his part, smirking at being called a mercenary, but dutifully paying attention. He wondered if this is what Kratos felt lik-

Lloyd's brain froze. '_Tethe'alla and Sylvarant are still separate. Kratos is still here. I could-_' Lloyd shook his head. '_No. I can't._' He had a job to do. If he didn't do it, then the Kratos that was his father would probably be caught up in the destruction. As much as he wanted to see his father again, he couldn't allow himself to even attempt to contact him.

Lloyd let out a strained gasp. The sound attracted the guard's attention, but he didn't say anything. Lloyd hadn't thought doing this would be so hard. But he wasn't going to back down now. Everyone was depending on him.

Just then, a carriage exited the main gates of Meltokio. It squealed to a stop in front of Lloyd and the guard. The door automatically popped open. The guard stepped forward and helped Hilda step out. She then turned around and motioned for someone inside the darkened interior of the carriage. A hand stretched forth and grabbed onto the side of the carriage. Following the hand was a bundle of red hair and a face Lloyd knew and at the same time, didn't.

The Zelos that Lloyd knew wasn't so young. The Zelos that Lloyd knew didn't look at the world with eyes of sorrow. And Lloyd was sure this wasn't even remotely his Zelos when the boy hesitated to take the princess' hand.

"Zelos, this is your bodyguard for the trip," Hilda explained. "A Mr… I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your name before."

"My name is…" Lloyd paused. Then, with a grin, he said, "Aurion. Lloyd Aurion. I'm a mercenary. As long as you can pay me, I'll take on the job of protecting Zelos Wilder. Ah… I believe we've already agreed on that part though."

Lloyd grinned sheepishly and Hilda sent a glare in his direction. She quickly changed her demeanor when Zelos looked at her questioningly. She bent down next to Zelos and whispered something in his ear. His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear her tell him, "Don't worry, Zelos, you'll safely back on your island in no time."

Zelos nodded and stepped next to Lloyd. Lloyd nodded at Hilda as she gave him one last look. Then she climbed into the carriage with the guard scrambling onto the back. Seconds passed and the carriage disappeared into the city gate. Lloyd looked down at Zelos and Zelos looked up at Lloyd.

"You don't look like a mercenary," Zelos said.

Lloyd sighed and walked off, his red boots crunching on the rocks scattered across the dirt road. "Come on," he said, "this isn't a field trip."

They traveled the road toward the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. Before anyone could notice, the nearby soldiers on the bridge or Zelos, Lloyd dashed into a copse of trees. He reached out and snatched Zelos off the path seconds later.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Zelos shouted. Lloyd shushed him, putting a finger to his lips. Lloyd poked his head up and looked to the guards at the bridge. They hadn't noticed. He sighed inwardly.

"Zelos," Lloyd said, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, "you and your sister are in great danger. I saved you, now we have to find Seles."

**Submission 3**

**By: Mieu  
**

AN: For the members of Sno Phoenix (as in this won't be going in the story if it's picked), there will be a mention of cameras somewhere in the chapter, because I'm assuming we just installed them in all the worlds to spy on Lloyd, so none of us have to be seen. I'm assuming eventually Lloyd will learn of them, and figure out how to avoid them. There will be parts in italics, and Lady Kat is in every single one~ (Although I'm not sure if they're in character.)

-~-

Lloyd felt himself being taken through dimensions. It felt similar to that of a Rheaird, except more rough. He screamed as he rushed through dimensions, air whooshing by him. It suddenly came to a halt as he flew through outer space and paused. He floated weightlessly in the silent world, him being unable to scream due to no surrounding atmosphere. He glanced around before his lungs started to cry out from lack of oxygen and suddenly he was sent spiraling back between dimensions.

Images flashed before Lloyd's eyes. Gel trees, a female version of himself, a flat world, and himself in an oddly white world with weird looking buildings. He only had time to glance. He suddenly found himself falling towards Meltokio, then a cement sidewalk, progressing on closer to the sewer manhole before he started screaming again. He held his hands near his face and waited for impact, but he fazed through the ground without damage. …Until he hit the ground and splashed facedown into the sewers.

Lloyd roughly shoved himself up while quickly spitting out whatever he had in his mouth. "Ugh! That was not funny Origin!" He yelled before wiping at his mouth some more. He continued spitting before he noticed some voices talking in the distance. _Who the heck goes around walking in the sewers?_ His thoughts suddenly flashed back to the Journey of Regeneration. _Well…besides us. _Months of traveling told him to avoid the noises and to preserve himself, but curiosity got the better of him. He snuck towards the sound quietly, avoiding splashing the puddles. When he turned the corner he saw Princess Hilda on a lower platform with 2 black-cloaked people kneeling in front of her. One was noticeably taller than the other. He quickly ducked back to avoid being caught. In the past he would have to strain his ears to hear someone at this distance, but his new and improved angelic hearing let them be heard. Lloyd glanced both ways before pressing his back against the wall and shutting his eyes.

"Everyone know the plan? Recite the goal for me." Hilda's shrill voice announced, a bit of an accent touching her words. The people kneeling rose to their feet while saying, "Assassinate your father, eliminate any possible heirs to the throne, use the Chosen's sibling to overcome any political problems or problems that present themselves…" _Wait, what? I guess this is the problem with the dimension. Judging from their voices, one of them is male. The other sounds familiar but I can't quiet put my finger on it yet…_The female assassin stopped speaking while the male spoke in sentence fragments. "Madam, someone is here." Lloyd snapped his eyes open and tried to quickly sneak away. "Shall I eliminate them?" Lloyd clenched his teeth before quickening his pace. There was no answer and the silence was broken with a loud bang. A black figure appeared in front of him, grabbed his collar, and there was another bang. When Lloyd could see through the smoke he saw Princess Hilda and the black hooded figures.

When Hilda saw his face her expression changed to an annoyed look. "Lloyd Irving. Always late, aren't we?" Lloyd put on an apologetic look, but underneath he was confused. "I'm sorry ma'am, I got lost." Hilda glanced at the female figure as she nodded. "Very well. See that it does not happen again. Sheena, brief him. The plan is put in motion tomorrow, rest up tonight." She motioned towards the sewer exits, the lone assassin following. The two remaining waited until they heard the slam of the sewer doors being shut. Sheena suddenly smacked the back of his head, hard. "I told you to be on time! This is a very important job! We could be loaded for the rest of our lives, and you just had to show up late! Ugh, men." Sheena shook her head with disbelief. "The plan is pretty much the same, just a bit more elaborate than the one I told you. The time we have to finish this job is about week days, and with finishing touches it'll be a month."

'_Ugh, that doesn't help me! Origin! What is the plan?' _The deep booming voice sounded in his head,

'_I apologize young master. I do not control this realm, so I do not know the details on the matter.' _

'_How is that possible?! You're the supreme ruler of everything.' _

'_I am only supreme ruler of everything in our own realm. The second you arrived in this dimension is when I appeared as well. I have just started recording what has occurred and have no records of past goings-on in this dimension.' _

'_Does that mean this world has an Origin as well?' _

'_Of course, young master.'_

"Hey Lloyd, did you notice that other assassin staring at you? I thought that was really weird…" she said while jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Sheena…" Lloyd slowly started while nervously rubbing the back of his bruised head, "What was the plan again?" Sheena's face grew red before she stamped her feet, indignant. "You mean you didn't listen?! We're going to put Hilda on the throne and eliminate anyone that gets in her way, Chosen included."

-~-

"_He's here."_

"_Good. Move into position." _

-~-

Sheena had gone her separate way while Lloyd re-entered a nearing dark Meltokio. He decided it would be a bad thing for Zelos to be assassinated, so he made a beeline for the mansion. In a short while he arrived at the large plush house and raised his hand to knock on the door. The door creaked open to reveal the butler, Sebastian. "Greetings, sir. In what way can I serve you?" _So Sebastian doesn't remember me. …Actually he doesn't know me. _"Hi, I was wondering if the Chosen was home?" Sebastian shook his head. "Out on business." The short man quickly ducked back in and shut the door before Lloyd could ask any more questions. Lloyd hung his head in disbelief before turning around. _Guess I have to search for him on my own. If I were Zelos, where would I be?_ Lloyd veered towards the nearest bar he could find.

Lloyd hesitantly stepped into the rowdy atmosphere, unsure of the new environment. Kratos and Dirk had always instructed him to avoid these kinds of places, but he had to find Zelos. He found it odd that there were girls in barely any clothing sauntering around poles. He squeezed his way through to the counter and took a seat, looking around. He scanned through the crowd, but there was no one with red hair among the crowd. Lloyd was so focused he jumped up when someone spoke from behind him. "Sir, what will you be having tonight?" He turned around and saw the bartender, surprisingly a young female. "Oh, uh anything's fine so long as it doesn't have any alcohol in it." The bartender nodded. "Right, one Virgin Hairy Hangover coming right up." Lloyd nearly laughed at the oxymoron, but before he could he caught sight of long red hair. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out 50 Gald and put it on the counter before walking towards the redhead. He was about to tap on the redhead's shoulder when he realized that it was a female. Begrudgingly he made his way back to his seat.

The Gald he left was still on the counter, and the bartender was making what he assumed was his drink. He kept one eye on the door, while speaking to the bartender. "I'm looking for a tall man with red hair who wears pink and uses a short sword. Have you seen him?" The bartender gave thoughtful twirl to the bottle she was holding. "Hm, I don't think I've seen him..."

Lloyd sighed deeply. "Right. Thanks anyway." She placed the drink next to Lloyd before moving to the other side of the counter, tapping away on a machine. As Lloyd took a sip of his surprisingly sweet drink, a bulky man he had not noticed had been sitting next to him, who was dressed so no skin was showing. He had a mask over his face and a fedora on his head. The man suddenly turned and spoke to Lloyd. "I've heard of him." Lloyd's face changed to sudden relief. "Great, so where is he?" The mysterious man looked around.

"Come with me." Lloyd downed his drink, and then they both stood. Lloyd realized that the man was nearly as tall as Regal or Kratos and stood almost a head higher than him. He silently followed the larger man out the bar and through the street. The only other movement the stranger made was once, when he nodded at a group of people sitting in a small café. He led Lloyd to the lowest level of the city, near the item shop under the coliseum.

He crossed his arms and spoke. "No one will hear us. Looking for Wilder, right?" Lloyd seemed to lighten up. This man knew who he was looking for. "Yeah, that's him. Do you know where he is? I need to speak with him." The stranger's brow crinkled in confusion. "_Need_ to know?" Lloyd's tone became more urgent. "It's really important, it's a matter of life or death." The older man put on a curious face, dropping his hands. "Tell me." It wasn't a question, more of a command. Lloyd suddenly felt threatened. His instincts screamed for him to turn around and run to the inn, but he needed to know where Zelos was. "He's going to be assassinated. I overheard a conversation that the Chosen would be killed. " The mans expression suddenly changed to understanding. "I see. Report to the King?" Lloyd spoke rapidly, trying to sound more urgent. "The person who hired the assassins was the princess." The man did not seem surprised. "Zelos at Sybak for Cruxis Crystal research." Before Lloyd could ask more, the man abruptly turned and walked away. "Thanks!" He called with an afterthought after the disappearing man. The Meltokio gates were closed at night, so he could only leave by sewers or jumping over the gate. Or he could go to the inn and rest for the night. The last option seemed very tempting, but Zelos was in danger and he needed to warn him about the coming danger.

-~-

"_I've finished installing the cameras."_

"_All right."_

-~-

Lloyd released his abnormally large wings and flew over the gate. Because of their size, he could fly farther than Colette or Zelos could. Instead of touching down outside, he angled himself straight towards Sybak. The glow of his wings made was the only thing lighting his way. Lloyd held the laughter that came from flying in. It always made him happy just to be in the air, on his **own** wings. Lloyd slowly shifted into something akin to autopilot and dozed off. Before he realized it, his feet touched the ground and he got a face full of dirt. He rolled over, sprawled onto his back so he could stargaze. Flying long distances made him exhausted, like they would anyone, regardless of wing size. He was too tired to make camp or even roll out a blanket. _The night is warm enough for sleeping out anyways._

The next morning he woke up albeit uncomfortable. He was hungry, flying most of the night had drained his energy stores. Lloyd being Lloyd, he had no food with him, and judging by the sun, it was the afternoon. He made his way into the city. _Man I miss my friends. If Genis were here, he'd be able to whip up something without any trouble _he thought as he walked into the city. Soon, he entered a small café that seemed to have more people than it could hold.

"My food is undercooked!"

"It's all burnt! I want a refund!"

"My food is burnt on the outside but raw on the inside!"

_Maybe this place isn't that good…_Lloyd thought as he veered out the door and towards the academy.

After a brisk walk into the large cafeteria, Lloyd made his way to the cashier since there was no line and barely anyone eating lunch. He ordered a roast beef sandwich without tomatoes, and while he was paying he spoke quietly to the student working at the cash register. "Hey, I heard a rumor that the Chosen was here. Is that true?"

"I haven't heard anything about it, why? I'm sure if she came here there would be more activity around Sybak, y'know?"

"Excuse me, did you just say she?" Lloyd balked as he handed over some Gald.

"Yeah, Lady Seles the Chosen."

-~-

"_V, have you sent him in the wrong direction?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Alright, get back to that dimension and do whatever Hilda wants you to do."_

**Submission 4**

**By Tiger  
**

Arc 1 Chapter 1: A new chosen

Lloyd could feel himself shifting dimensions. His senses could not comprehend all the sights and sounds of traveling between the worlds. It was as if sight, sound, and touch were all blended to one and overwhelmed his mind with their presence. Soon, the unusual environment began to fade back to normalcy. However, the dimensional shifting caused him to be unable to make anything out. He saw the ground below him and it was getting closer. It took him a moment for this to register in his mind. Once it did, he quickly pulled out his wings to try to retard his fall, but it was too late. The swordsman crashed into a bush.

"What was that?" the bush said. Lloyd recognized the bush's voice as Sheena's.

"Sorry Sheena, what are you doing here anyway?" he said as he tried to untangle himself from the plant. His two swords fell out of his hands and landed on the ground.

She jumped out of the bush and drew her spell cards. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"My name is Lloyd and…" It wouldn't make any sense for him to tell Sheena everything he had just been through. She would probably just kill him, by the look on her face. He wasn't sure what type of world he was in. Had they completed their journey yet? If so, then Sheena should recognize him. That must mean the worlds were still separate.

"So, spit it out. How do you know me?" Lloyd had to think fast. An idea came to him when he realized he still had his wings out.

"I am an angel sent from Cruxis," he said as he untangled himself from the branches, revealing his wings. Lloyd hoped Cruxis existed in the dimension. Sheena's seemed shocked by this revelation.

"You might be an angel, but that doesn't mean I will let you stop me." She threw a smoke bomb, and disappeared from his sight.

Lloyd contemplated her unusual reaction for a moment and then noticed the giant walls near him. He realized he must be on the outskirts of Meltokio. Still unsure of what the problem was he needed to fix, he guessed that Origin had him there for a reason. Lloyd picked up his swords and put them away. He noticed that the eternal sword had become his material blades again. That would mean he couldn't return to his world until he could find a way to combine them together again. Perhaps Meltokio would hold the answer, and if not, it was a good place to start.

As he entered the city, he overheard two guards talking. "You hear those rumors about an assassin after the chosen?"

"Yea, with the king sick and now this, we have to be on our guard."

Perhaps the assassination was the reason Origin sent him here. It made sense, Zelos being killed would mess up the normal series of events. He walked up the steps of the city, heading towards Zelos's house to ask him if he knew anything about the assassination. He was near the middle of the city, looking for anything out of place when he crashed into someone.

"I'm so sorry sir, that was all my fault," the person said.

"Not at all, I should have been watching were I was going," Lloyd replied. "Wait, Zelos?" Lloyd recognized the man's red hair.

"Y-yeah, you need something?" Zelos replied nervously.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I-I'm sorry," he said uneasily.

"You just seem so different."

"Yeah, I know," Zelos said looking down in shame, "People always tell me that I should be more like my sister. I guess her royal confidence comes from her being the Chosen."

"Wait, your not the chosen?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos shook his head. "No, my sister is," he stammered, "I-I thought everyone knew that." _'Seles is the chosen and Zelos is a wimp, this is getting weird.' _

"Wait if Seles in the Chosen then that means, the assassins must be after her," Lloyd said to himself.

"Wait, where are you going?" Zelos said as Lloyd continued running to the upper part of the city.

"To save your sister. Come on," he said. Zelos followed Lloyd as they ran through the city.

Lloyd nearly knocked the door down as he ran into Seles' mansion. "Seles, you are alright," he said as he was catching his breath.

"Yeah, but who are you?" she said, and several of her guards grabbed their weapons. She appeared older then he remembered. If she was older than Zelos, then that would explain why she was the chosen instead.

"My name is Lloyd, and I was sent here to protect you from the assassins," he said, sounding much more confident in his story than he really was.

"How do we know you aren't the one after lady Seles?" One of her guards asked pointing his blade at Lloyd. Zelos then caught up to Lloyd and entered the room.

"Why do you need to see my sister so badly?" Zelos asked.

"You know him?" she asked.

"Yea, I ran into him in the street. He seemed to be confused, and then ran off to find you."

"Identify yourself!" the guard demanded.

Lloyd decided to go with the lie he used earlier and pulled out his wings again. "I am an angel sent by Cruxis to protect the Chosen during this dangerous time." He thought back to the dwarven vows Dirk forced him to learn. 'Lying is the first step on the path of thievery.' However, if he was to save this and the other worlds, it would be necessary.

The others were surprised at Lloyd's revelation and quickly apologized for any suspicions. "How may we serve you?" Seles asked as all of them got down on one knee before Lloyd.

Lloyd was just hoping to stay out of trouble but never expected for them to be bowing before him. "Uh, my orders are to keep a careful watch over the chosen and alert me if anything unusual happens. For now, I must do more investigating." He then left the mansion and tried to find any clues of who was after Seles and why. He wished his friends were with him. Alone, Lloyd could defend himself, but without the others, he wondered if he could actually save all the worlds. As he was wondering, he heard a voice inside his head. It seemed to be having trouble breaking through, but he was able to make it out.

"Lloyd, Seles isn't the only one in danger," it said.

"Origin? Who else?" Lloyd responded.

"The king, being poisoned," Origin said before losing the connection. The swordsman tried reaching him again but there was nothing. Lloyd thought back to their journey and remembered the king had been poisoned then as well. He recalled that the pope was behind it, and assumed this was the case here as well. It made sense that the pope wanted Seles dead as well.

Lloyd walked to the church and prepared to confront the pope. He hoped that he could save this world some of the pain the pope had inflicted in his. He barged into the church with a stern look on his face. "Where is the Pope?" he demanded.

"That is no way to enter a place of worship," a priest corrected him.

"I don't care. Tell me where the pope is!"

"What seems to be the problem?" the pope said coming out of his office. Lloyd ran over to him, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall. He refused to let the corrupt pontiff continue in his deceptive ways.

"Give me the antidote now!" he said lifting the pope a few inches of the ground.

"I don't, know, what you're, talking about," the pope said as he struggled breathing.

"Yeah? We'll see about that?" Lloyd said as he dropped the pope and walked into his office. He yanked open the desk where the poison had been kept in Lloyd's journey, but it was empty. "Where is it?" he screamed and then slammed it shut. Two of the papal knights came into the room and pointed their spears at Lloyd.

"You are under arrest for assault of the leader of the church of Martel." Lloyd could fight his way out, but this wasn't the time. He had no evidence to accuse the pope of something like this. He would just become an outlaw again. He decided to once again pose as an Cruxis angel. Not even the pope could deny an angel appearing right in front of him. While he began to activate his wings, he suddenly became very tired and could not concentrate. What ever it was, not only drained his power to summon the wings, but also the ability to stand, Lloyd then collapsed on the ground.

He could still make out some voices but wasn't sure what they were saying. What was it that drained him like that? Lloyd tried pushing himself back up, but his arms were like jelly. He could barley make out once sentence before drifting into unconsciousness. "I told you I wouldn't let you stop me."


	3. Arc 1, Chapter 2 Entries

This is a placeholder chapter. No other entries were made to this chapter, I apologize for any inconvenience. (And yes, I'm aware that FFN hates these kinds of chapters, but trust me, having a placeholder will be so much easier in the future. If you want chapter 30, you won't have to go digging for Chapter 30's entries.)

~~Kat


	4. Arc 1, Chapter 3 Entries

Hello again! We've got submissions this time! This round was a very close race, too! We had a three-way tie until the final vote came in to tip the scales in Submission 3's favor. Congrats, Moony! As for Sagie and Tiger, you guys were really close, tied for second! I was not the first to say how tough this round was to decide which one to vote for and it clearly showed with how scattered the voting was. Great job everyone!

As for the entries, there were four and number three was picked, so search for Submission 1, 2, or 4.

~~Kat

**Submission 1**

**By Sage of Spirits**

Arc 1: Chapter 3: Chosen's Brother's Guardian Knight

Lloyd walked quickly to catch Zelos. He knew they went out the front gate, but how was he going to go out through it so easily? He spotted the spear in his hand.

_Wait, I'm still wearing armor. I can just walk out and say I'm heading to the main gates… Perfect!_ he thought with a grin, still enjoying his disguise. He walked toward the front gate. _Though when I finally get out of this, I'm going to wash it... _he continued, still trying to find the source of the smell. He swore he got some of it in his mouth and almost gagged. Before he could, he was stopped by the guards.

"Halt, brother!" the guard on the left said, walking toward Lloyd. The guard placed his gauntlet onto Lloyd's shoulder. Lloyd was taken by surprise; brother? Was it something used between knights? "Where are you off to, brother? Duty or pleasure?"

That was easy. Lloyd stood straight, looking at the guard. "I'm off to duty, brother." Lloyd said, eyes looking away. There was a lot he did not know about the knights, he realized. Maybe he would have to dig up a few things about them when he could…

The guard nodded his head, patting Lloyd hardily on the back. "Ah, I see, brother. When we get off duty, we should have a drink." he said, leading Lloyd to the front gate.

Lloyd could feel sweat trying to build. "Will do, brother." Lloyd said, mentally sighing in relief when the gates were opened.

"Go with the knight's honor, brother." he said as Lloyd walked into the streets.

As he walked down the pathway looking for Zelos, he thought about the encounter. _That was… weird. It was nothing like what I assumed. Maybe it was just the Papal Knights…_ he thought, finding Zelos heading down the first set of stairs. _Oh no, I have to hurry!_ he thought, easily jogging down the stairs. _I still don't understand why people say armor is heavy, I'm doing just fine._ he thought as he reached them. "Wait, brothers!" he said as he slowed his pace. Zelos and the knights turned around to Lloyd, pausing.

"What is it, brother? Are there new orders?" the guard on the right said, both standing at attention. Zelos turned back around, finding that he was not needed.

"Yes, from Princess Hilda." Lloyd said, nodding his head. He looked at Zelos with an unseen frown. He had to keep Zelos in the dark until he was safe. "I would suggest finding somewhere private to speak." he said, watching the knights nod their heads. "I'm sorry, Master Zelos," Lloyd said, trying to keep himself from chuckling at the title, "but I must speak to my brothers in private."

"Master Zelos, we shall guide you to the Chosen's mansion while we speak. The Chosen is currently out – there should be no problems." the guard on the left said, watching Zelos weakly nod his head. "Come, brother, we shall walk together." he said, walking in front of Zelos. Lloyd and the two knights surrounded Zelos in a triangle formation.

They walked up the stairs and turned right. Lloyd looked around the nobles' quarters, finding the nobles not paying them any heed as well. Lloyd's smile started growing again, but he had to focus. He needed to figure out what to tell them, and quick. What would they think Princess Hilda would want done? "Here, Master Zelos, tell the Chosen's butler that you are here temporarily." the guard said, opening the door for Zelos.

Zelos walked into the mansion, leaving Lloyd and the knights to themselves. They walked back down the lane. "Let's head to the prison through the Coliseum. The prisoners should be in the arena, so we will have privacy there." the guard said, walking down the stairs.

_This feels so weird._ Lloyd thought as he walked with the two knights. _They really think I'm a knight simply because I'm in armor. Why does this bother me a little?_ Lloyd thought, turning his head to the other knights. They walked into the Coliseum, the guard nodding his head to the receptionist, and hurried through the door leading into the dungeon.

The knight closed the door behind him, leading them down to the prison. "Okay, brother, what are the princess' orders?"

Lloyd nodded his head; he smiled, knowing that they could not see it. "Princess Hilda has ordered that I take care of Master Zelos." he said, waiting for the knights to respond. Lloyd could not be sure whether they knew about the assassination plans.

"Are you sure, brother? The princess ordered us to take Master Zelos to the Coliseum." he said, looking at his partner warily. "Something about keeping him guarded."

"The princess realized that having more than one knight with Master Zelos would make him a better target. I was ordered to go and alert you of this. I was then ordered to guard Master Zelos." Lloyd said, listening to the two knights mutter among themselves.

"We see. Thank you for informing us, brother." he said, throwing his arm around Lloyd's shoulder, leading him back down the hallway. "But why the secrecy? Is there something that might threaten Master Zelos' life?"

Lloyd hesitated slightly before throwing his arm over the knight's shoulder; the knight lightly punched him in the side. "The princess believes so, which is why she wanted secrecy. I'm sorry for that, brother, but I had no choice." he said, suddenly remembering the king. Now that Zelos was safe, he could quickly help the king. "Oh, sorry brothers, but I must run back into the castle. I just realized I forgot something." Lloyd said, removing his arm from the knight's shoulder.

The knight nodded his head, removing his arm from Lloyd. "It's fine, brother. Keep Master Zelos safe. May the knight's honor keep you safe as well." he said.

"Thanks, brother." Lloyd said. "I would suggest keeping a low profile so that Master Zelos is kept safe." he said, receiving nods from both knights before they turned around. He smiled behind the helmet. "May the knight's honor protect you, brothers."

"Thanks, brother." they said, turning their heads back to Lloyd before they continued to walk back up the stairs.

_I can't believe that worked…_ _Now to hurry and save the king… _he thought, rushing up the stairs into the castle. If what he thought was true, the king's food was being poisoned. He walked to the kitchen, hoping to catch the king's food being prepared.

He smiled when the chef looked at him with a satisfied smile. "Ah, good, you're here. Here's the king's food." he said, pointing to the tray. Lloyd walked over and picked it up, exiting the room.

_Okay, now to make sure the king gets some of the antidote… But where can I put it?_ Lloyd thought as he walked up the stairs. He saw the orange liquid and smiled. If the antidote was the same, it should be tasteless, according to what happened before. He could mix some of it in that; that should extend the king's life, allowing Lloyd to save Seles and not worry as much on the king. _Okay, what can I use to mix it in? _he continued, noting the spoon on the tray. _That'll work_. he thought as he opened the door to the king's room.

Luckily, the king and he were the only ones there. Now all he had to do was mix some of the antidote into the juice… _There! That should do it._ he thought, quickly leaving the room. _Now to hurry to Zelos…_

_**(--LINE BREAK--)**_

Walking up the stairs to the mansion, Lloyd knocked on the door. It clicked open, revealing Sebastian. "I'm here for Master Zelos." Lloyd said, slamming his spear onto the ground in a salute.

"One moment, Sir Knight." Sebastian said, walking back into the foyer. Lloyd patiently waited, trying to get a look at interior. He found a painting of a woman on the wall, but she looked different from the picture Zelos kept. Looking closely, he saw a different name on the frame. He figured it was Seles' mother; he had to wonder if Seles went through the same thing Zelos did. However, he had no chance to continue when Sebastian arrived with Zelos. "Here you are, Sir Knight. I do hope you keep him safe."

Lloyd nodded his head. "I shall. Now let's get moving, Master Zelos." he said, watching as Zelos did as he was told. He shyly walked in front of Lloyd, his arms held close to his chest and his head turning left and right constantly. He led Lloyd to the Dividing Line, expecting to head to the Coliseum. However, Lloyd placed his hand on Zelos' shoulder. "No, we are leaving the city, Master Zelos." he said, pulling Zelos along.

Fortunately for Lloyd, Zelos simply complied, not wanting to cause him trouble. When they reached the main gate, the guards nodded their heads to Lloyd. "Take care, brother." the two guards said, pounding their fists together and bowing her heads.

"Thanks, brothers. Take care of the city." Lloyd said, leading Zelos into the field. They walked as quickly as possible until they were out of sight. Lloyd instantly turned to Zelos, who shook in surprise. "Alright, we have some things to do." he said, removing the helmet to reveal his face. "It's so nice to breathe fresh air…" he said, running his gauntlet through his hair.

Zelos gasped when he saw Lloyd's face. However, he did not say a word. "What's wrong?" Lloyd asked.

"You… were in the temple… asking for help." Zelos said, looking around as if in trouble.

Lloyd looked at him sadly; he hated to lie to him, but he had to think of something quick. "The guards in front of the castle wouldn't let me in because I was late, so I went to the temple hoping they could let me in. But I didn't want them knowing I was late, so I had to… come up with something." he said, looking away from Zelos. "So when I was let in, I was going to see where I was to be assigned when I heard the princess and the Pope talking. They're planning to kill you, Seles and the king for the throne. I had to do something."

"H-How can…" Zelos said, hand reaching for his stiletto. "How can…I trust you? Y-You…'re a…k-knight…"

Lloyd looked away; he needed Zelos' help. He had to have his trust. What could he do? "Knight's honor, Master Zelos." he said, biting his lip. He saw Zelos slowly releasing his grip; Lloyd would have sighed with relief, but he could not lose what he had. H_ere I am, playing a knight, and I don't know the code…_ he thought, looking at his armor. _I need to study this one day so I don't get careless..._ he thought, shaking himself from his thoughts.

"S-So…Princess Hilda…wants the throne? And she…'s…trying to…kill me and…Seles?" Zelos said quietly, his head lowered. His fists were shaking slightly, whether out of fear or anger, he was uncertain. "Do the…knights know?"

Lloyd shook his head. "No, I don't think they do. When I talked to my brothers, they did not fight the order. The order, of course, I made up. But only to get you to safety." he said, leading Zelos to the coastline.

"I-I see… W-Well, I'll trust you…" Zelos said, his head still facing the ground. "You're risking a lot, so I have no choice."

Lloyd sighed to himself, grunting in disgust at the armor's smell. Now that he had fresh air, the smell became unbearable. He removed the pieces of the armor and placed them on the ground. "I'm going to wash my armor. Want to help?" he asked, grabbing a towel out of the wingpack.

Zelos smiled slightly, raising his head weakly. "O-Okay." he said, taking the towel as Lloyd soaked the armor in the water.

**Submission 2**

**By Baby Kat Snophlake**

Arc 1 Chapter 3 Submission: Coliseum

The castle doors closed behind him and he turned to stare at the cathedral. It was there that the Pope had come from and it would be there where the Pope would return, but Zelos was supposed to go elsewhere. The guards with him had been told to escort Zelos back home, but as he turned towards his mansion, a guard laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Not that way. Seles is somewhere else. We'll go to her instead."

"O-okay." Zelos said. The same guard took up the lead while the other remained behind. Zelos kept his eyes on his and Seles's mansion next to the castle and he had the sudden feeling of an animal being led away from safety. Each step he took down the stairs brought him closer to the poorer folk of Meltokio and the slums, and each stair echoed the beating of his heart until it sounded like it was going twice as fast as it felt.

Then they took a right and Zelos stopped.

"Wait, are you sure…?"

The lead guard turned around. "Yes! Seles is in the coliseum. We need to hurry. She's already been waiting for so long." The guard tailing Zelos pushed into his back and Zelos took a tentative step forward. He raised his eyes slowly to take in the coliseum's outer walls and the grey stone never looked so menacing. He swallowed hard and at the suggestion of another push in the back, he followed the lead guard across the bridge leading to the coliseum.

He was sure that Seles wanted him home, but if she had changed her mind and wanted to meet him at the coliseum he wasn't going to disappoint her. Still, the only word he had about her being here was that of the guards. She really shouldn't be here now of all times…

They passed through the double doors and into the main room of the coliseum. His eyes were busy taking in the room he had never seen before as he followed automatically behind the lead guard. That is until the door slammed shut with the weight of metal bars creaking and he realized he had walked right into the coliseum prisons.

"W-wait! Seles wouldn't be here, would she?"

"Don't worry." The lead guard told him. "You'll be just fine." But Zelos didn't like the sound behind his voice. It was more like listening to death handing him a ticket home to his final resting place. Zelos tried to turn around, to run back to the doors leading to the main hall, to freedom, but the tailing guard remained him, holding him steady and facing forward.

"I thought Seles wasn't supposed to be—"

"She left Meltokio hours ago." The guard replied. "But don't you worry about that. You've got bigger problems." The guard handed him a rusty, banged-up piece of metal. "You'll need this. Take him over to the door, I think they're expecting him now."

The guard behind Zelos nodded and rested, once again, a hand on Zelos's shoulder. Zelos's whole body shook with a faint grip on what was once a sword as the guard steered him closer to another door on the far side of the prison. As Zelos passed the cells, he could see many people resting inside. A few of them glanced up, and their curiosity turned wide with shock.

Zelos tried whispering "help me!" but he could manage a faint whimper and his fingers clutched the sword like it was his only safe-haven left. One man stood as Zelos passed, his face pressed to the bars of his cell and anger seemed to seep off of him like cologne.

"Hey! What are you doing with the Chosen's brother?!"

The guard stopped, and Zelos was allowed a moment to stare at the man hoping to save him. The man wore shackles on his hand, his long blue mane a tangled mess, and he was tall and muscular. He looked like the kind of man that would not only have no trouble in the coliseum, but breaking from the prisons as well. Why he was still in a place like this, Zelos had no idea. He wished for a moment that he was that big and strong.

"The Chosen's brother wanted to participate in the coliseum. It was his own choice. He signed up and we thought we'd let him. Got a problem with that?" The guard spat at the man behind bars, while his hand was rested on Zelos's shoulder.

The man behind bars shifted to stare at Zelos. "Is that true?" The man's voice was oddly gentle, but Zelos felt a warning squeeze on his shoulder.

For a moment he almost shook his head, but he felt the eyes and frowns from the guards burning into him and he knew that if he told the truth, there would be far worse problems than this. Halfway through a shake, Zelos nodded and the hand on his shoulder loosened with approval.

The man frowned but said nothing more.

The guard pushed Zelos back into motion and somehow Zelos managed to put one foot in front of the other despite how boneless his whole body felt. Finally, he stood staring at the double doors leading to the coliseum and he was ushered inside.

The tunnel was dark, but there was a flood of light at the other end. Zelos could vaguely hear people screaming and roaring, the excitement almost tangible, except the only place he could feel it was his stomach. The doors close yet again behind him but this time, he was alone. He walked closer to the light, the only thing he could hear was his heart hammering away in his ears, his hands in a tight fist around his sword. He wasn't sure what he would find once he reached the field, but it was almost guaranteed that it wouldn't be good. He had never faced down a monster before.

Then he heard a voice echoing over the screaming cheers of the crowd. The words became clearer the more he walked…

"—Of all ages, welcome to yet another exciting round! This time, we have a brave contender hailing from the Chosen's family, that's right! Zelos Wilder, the Chosen's younger brother has entered our tournament!"

Zelos shivered. He had never entered this tournament himself. Someone else must have entered him instead, but would they listen to him if he pointed that out? Was it too late to cancel the whole ordeal?

"Now let's give our new contender a warm welcome! ZELOS WILDER!"

The cheering exploded into thunder, dust fell from the ceiling of the tunnel and glancing down, Zelos saw pebbles dancing in the dirt. They were waiting for him now. If he didn't show up, they'd be disappointed. He swallowed, gritted his teeth, and stepped into the sunlight.

He didn't think the screaming could get any louder, but it had. Everyone had filled the stands and was now giving him a standing ovation, clapping, and greeting with everything they had. They were supporting him. They had belief in him that he would be able to do this… if only he felt the same way. How did he end up in this situation?!

"So, Zelos!" The announcer said. "You want to prove to us that you have what it takes to win this tournament! Then show us what you've got! Bring out Zelos's opponent!"

A grate across the arena slid open, but all Zelos could hear was the deafening crowd, and his eyes were focused on that one spot in the darkness behind the grate where he could see glowing eyes. He had definitely NOT asked for this…

**Submission 4**

**By Tiger 002**

Lloyd ran through the castle as fast as he could, considering the heavy armor he was wearing. He wanted to attract as little attention to himself as possible, but he couldn't let Zelos be killed. Someone as young as that, wouldn't last 5 seconds in the arena.

"Where are you going?" a guard asked him, "Your shift isn't up for another 4 hours."

'_I don't have time for this.'_ "Um, the king requested me to go to town and find a certain artifact from the merchants. It won't take long."

"That seems a bit unusual."

"Yea and he wanted me to hurry so see you later," Lloyd said running past the guard before he had the chance to accuse him of anything.

Lloyd ran out of the building and knew he didn't have much time. He shed the royal armor and continued on the streets, dodging the various nobles who were insulted by the rude stranger, but as always, Lloyd didn't care what they thought. Saving Zelos was the important thing for the one-track mind.

The swordsman made his way into the coliseum and up into the stands. He hoped he made it in time, but only knew for sure when a small red head entered the arena.

The scared child looked around and began shaking. The eight year old had no idea what he was doing here, and all the people screaming just added to his fear.

"Release the monsters," one of the guards ordered and the gate opened, allowing three chimeras in the arena. Zelos backed against the wall as his heart began pounding against his chest. He gazed in every direction for a way out. The beasts slowly walked toward him, ready to tear the defenseless child to shreds.

"Tempest Beast." Lloyd leapt from the stands and flung himself at the leading chimera, colliding into it and knocking it back. He had put himself between Zelos and the monsters. "You alright?"

"Y-yea," Zelos nervously replied. Fear and confusion still filled the young boy's mind. All he could do now was trust the stranger who just saved him.

"Just stay back and I'll handle them." The crowd gave a mixed reaction at Lloyd's entrance. Some were booing because they wanted to see the supposed criminal torn to shreds while others were cheering at the chance to see a good battle.

Lloyd separated the eternal sword into the material blades he was used to using and charged at the monsters. He stabbed the one multiple times with a sword rain, and then raised his blade to block the claw of one of the other beasts. With his raging beast attack, he killed both the monsters surrounding him. The twin swordsman wondered why the third wasn't attacking him, and then noticed it was charging a spell with red runes around it.

The runes disappeared as a flame lance fell from the sky, right at Zelos. Lloyd leapt through the air with his tempest attack again, colliding into the spell. The warrior fell to the ground and Zelos ran toward him. "I'm so sorry, are you hurt?"

"Don't worry, I've taken worse," Lloyd responded as he rose to his feet, while the final monster charged at them. Lloyd jumped into the air and finished the battle with his rising falcon slicing through the beast.

"Thanks so much for saving me, mister."

_Wow, this is strange. This younger Zelos seems so different from the one I'm used to_ "Not a problem, I could let you just get killed by them. Your sister is in danger too."

"Will she be okay?"

"Yea, I'm going to make sure of it. Let's go."

"Wait, I'm going too?" Zelos said nervously.

"Of course." _Normally Zelos would do anything to protect his sister_ "I can't just leave you here when people still want you dead."

"Um, okay, so what do we do?"

The two left the coliseum, and after seeing Lloyd easily kill the monsters, the guards decided it would be best just to let them go without risking their lives as well.

"Zelos, can you fight?" Lloyd asked as they were walking over the bridge that connected the coliseum to the middle of the city.

"Well, a little bit. They are teaching me how to use a sword, but I drop it most of the time. I can also use a couple spells, but they aren't that strong."

_It's just like my world where Zelos can use swords and magic._ "Alright, if we get into more battles, just stay back and use magic then. I'll do everything I can to protect you, but try to defend yourself."

"Um, okay mister."

"Just call me Lloyd. I'm not really into formalities like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry." _'He is starting to remind me of Colette.'_

The pair left the city, with Zelos carrying the sword the coliseum gave him, which was too big for a child that young, and Lloyd still carried the separated blades of fire and ice. He could have reformed the eternal sword, but he knew that it would still be weaker then normal from the dimensional shift. He'd rather have the weapons he was used to fighting with, instead of the unstable power he was unused to.

Once they reached the bridge, they found that it had been raised, making it impossible to cross.

"Well, now how to we get to Sybeck?" Zelos asked.

"I wish I had the Rheaird, but I left them back at home. The only thing I can think of is go back to the elemental research center in Meltokio and see if they will let us use the EC to cross the ocean."

"So we have to walk all the way back there and back here again?" Zelos complained.

"Yea, I know, my legs are tired too." '_This must even be harder on Zelos. He's so young and not used to traveling like this.'_ "Sorry, but I don't see any other way."

"Oh, but there is," a voice said, "I'll kill you right here." Several shuriken flew at the two, but Lloyd pulled out his blades to deflect the attack.

"Kuchinawa what are you doing here?" Lloyd asked.

"Sending the Chosen and any who would help her to hell where they belong."

"What did she ever do to you? My sister does everything she can to help people."

"I'd say you'll understand when you are older, but you won't live that long." Nearly two-dozen Papal Knights emerged, cutting off any means of escape.

"What do we do Lloyd?"

The twin swordsman looked around trying to find a way out. Kuchinawa was a skilled ninja and the Pope's men weren't pushovers, especially in a group this large. He knew he couldn't defeat all of them and keep Zelos safe. He could only see one option.

Lloyd wrapped his arm around Zelos' chest. "Hold on tight."

"Wait why?"

The young boy soon had his answer when gorgeous blue-green wings erupted from Lloyd's back. The angel leapt into the sky and hovered over the grand bridge

The ninja fired several more shuriken at them, but Lloyd was able to get out of range quickly enough to avoid them.

"You're an angel! That's so cool!" Zelos said after an exhausted Lloyd landed on the other side of the bridge.

"Yea, something like that."

"Why didn't you fly us here in the first place?"

"Using my wings drains nearly all of my manna, so I don't like to use them often. That's the farthest I've ever flown."

"That was so cool. I can't wait to see my sister become an angel like you." _'If you knew what the angel transformation meant, you wouldn't be saying that.'_

"I think we should make camp here," Lloyd said changing the subject.

"I thought you wanted to get to Seles though?"

"I do but, after flying for an hour like that, I'm too weak to fight off any assassins."

"I'm worried about my sister, but I agree we need to rest."

As Lloyd lay on the hard ground waiting for the embrace of sleep to take him, he reflected on the changes he already saw in Zelos. When they first met, he was a coward afraid to do anything, but now he had seen the danger Seles faced, and his love for her showed. It reminded him of his friends back on his world. Genis would be there in a second for his older sister. He might have been frightened many times, but when the time came, he put his fears aside to save the ones he cared about.

Lloyd wondered if he could survive this journey without his friends with him. He knew that the only reason he saved the world before was because of them. They were all willing to give their lives for him. Beyond that though, their wisdom and encouragement they gave him propelled him to face Mithos. This time though, he knew the foes he would face could be even more powerful, and he was alone.


End file.
